Jeanne Shaheen Is Right to Retire
Posted on: Mar 13, 2025 00:11 IST | Posted by: Nytimes
Opinion Writer
Can I get a hearty huzzah for Senator Jeanne Shaheen on her decision not to run for another term in 2026?
I realize this further complicates her party’s chances of winning the majority and breaking the Trumpian death grip on the federal government. But after three decades in elected office, the New Hampshire Democrat has done her time — and then some.
At 78, Ms. Shaheen has passed the age when leaders in many high-stress fields are expected, and in some cases required, to hang up their spurs. Good on her for eventually recognizing that there is more to life than her powerful job.
Politicians, as you may have noticed, often stick around until past not just the common retirement age, but their primes. It is not ageist to note that Mitch McConnell or Joe Biden or Dianne Feinstein stayed in the game longer than they should have — along with many other elected officials. President Trump certainly seems to have lost several steps since 2016 — though at least the presidency has term limits.
While I have plenty of thoughts on congressional term limits, especially after years of watching lawmakers cling to office even as they visibly declined, that is a more involved discussion for another day. For now, I’ll stick with noting that the American public would be well served if there were an attitude shift in Congress, if the expectation was that members would retire before they grew too old or infirm to, say, stay awake during a committee hearing.
I appreciate the benefits of experience. And I am thrilled that many of our officials remain fit well into their senior years. But there are concrete downsides to a Congress — an entire political system — where members refuse to make way for fresh blood.
Some people will find it bizarre that I am cheering a senator for stepping down in 2027 at the tender age of 79. I feel you. Be assured that I am more impressed by the recent retirement announcements of Senator Gary Peters and Senator Tina Smith, each of whom, if re-elected, would have been 68 when starting another six-year term.
These decisions are hard — for individual members and for their parties. But no one likes a gerontocracy, and, Ms. Shaheen’s charms aside, she is not wrong in observing that “it’s important for New Hampshire and the country to have a new generation of leadership.”
Michelle Cottle writes about national politics for Opinion and is a host of the podcast “Matter of Opinion.” She has covered Washington and politics since the Clinton administration. @mcottle
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