Pilots retire before their hands shake. Firefighters step back when the flames outrun them. But for political leaders, we have no upper age limit, even though the consequences are often irreversible.
This is no longer sustainable. In 2024, voters felt misled by President Joe Biden, whose team worked hard to conceal his growing frailty from the public. The cost may be our democracy.
The U.S. should adopt a mandatory retirement age for politicians and judges. Eighty, an age older than the average American’s life expectancy, would be reasonable. And California is the right place to start.
California already imposes term limits on legislators and statewide officials. The public here accepts the idea that no one should serve indefinitely. We have also led on reforms like independent redistricting and campaign finance rules. Structurally and culturally, we are well-positioned to lead this conversation.
The San Francisco Democratic Party just took a step in that direction. In April, the local party passed a resolution that I authored calling on the state to study whether a maximum age should apply to elected officials and judges. The resolution does not set a number or change the law — it just asks the question.
Because we already know what happens when no one does.
In 2022, San Francisco Chronicle reporters revealed that Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s memory was visibly deteriorating. Colleagues had to reintroduce themselves repeatedly. She forgot briefings and grew upset when corrected. Yet she remained one of the most powerful senators, casting decisive votes on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees. She missed months of work in her final year before dying at 90, still in office.
It was not an isolated case. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 83, froze mid-sentence on live television, not once but twice, and returned to work without consequence. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) vanished from the Capitol for months before local reporters revealed she was living in assisted care. And in 2024, Biden’s condition became a glaring liability that party leaders deflected until it was too late. Voters were left in the dark.
Some argue that elections are still the solution. They are not. Elections reward name recognition, loyalty, and incumbency. In safe seats and low-turnout primaries, voters are often offered no real choice, and even when they are, they lack a full picture of the candidates’ health or capacity.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi is proof that experience still matters when paired with clarity and the capacity to lead. But rules aren’t made for the exceptions. An age limitation is not about dismissing the past. It is about ensuring readiness for what comes next. As officials grow older, their wealth and comfort tend to grow, too, and their distance from daily life grows with them. Housing costs, school quality, and endless waits at the DMV cease to register once the kids have graduated, the mortgage is paid off, and someone else is driving you around and waving you through every line. That distance drains urgency; the struggles most people face begin to feel abstract.
And when leaders overstay, the system stiffens. Some potential successors give up. Others lose to flashier newcomers who can go viral but cannot govern.
Other professions handle this better. Federal law allows companies to set a mandatory retirement age for senior executives with policymaking authority, as long as they offer a pension. But elected officials and judges are exempt, even though they hold the same power and often receive the same retirement benefits.
Courts have tried to fill the gap. In the Northern District of California, federal judges designate a “buddy” the chief judge can consult if questions about fitness arise. If our systems worked properly, we would not rely on whispers and personal favors. We would have clear standards.
Imposing a mandatory retirement age for elected officials would likely require a constitutional amendment. That is a high bar, and one worth debating. But Congress and the California Legislature can act now. They should require annual public health disclosures and cognitive assessments for officials over age 70, conducted by a neutral body. California could also establish mandatory retirement ages for judges, a move that is legally permissible. These steps would not limit voter choice. They would make voters more informed and begin to build a culture of renewal into public service.
A mandatory retirement age would create space for new leadership and allow long-serving officials to step aside with dignity. This is not about shunning experience. It is about building a system that renews itself purposefully, not by default.
Leadership is not a crown, it is a responsibility.
We cannot keep hoping for graceful exits. We need a system that requires them. Waiting politely has already cost us too much.
Eric Kingsbury is president of the District 2 Democratic Club and a member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee representing Assembly District 19.