Nancy Pelosi, 83, said Friday she will run for another term in Congress in 2024, announcing her intention to retain her seat as Democrats seek to take control of the House of Representatives in next year’s elections, News.ro reported, citing CBS News. .

“Now more than ever, our city of San Francisco needs us to promote its values ​​and continue our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with freedom and justice for ALL. This is the reason why I am running for re-election – and I respectfully ask for your vote,” the California representative wrote.

The 83-year-old former speaker of the House of Representatives stepped down as leader of the Democratic Party earlier this year when Republicans took control of the lower house of Congress.

She led House Democrats for 20 years, including two terms as speaker, and is one of the party’s most successful fundraisers.

At the end of a possible new term, Pelosi will be 86 years old, the same age as the oldest member of the House of Representatives from California, Grace Napolitano.

Pelosi has represented California in the House of Representatives since 1987 and is the first and only woman to ever serve as Speaker of the House.

It remains unclear whether Pelosi will run again after she resigned as Democratic leader after an assailant attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, at their San Francisco home last October.

When she announced her decision to step down as House leader, she said she was paving the way for a “new generation” of Democrats to lead the party. Pelosi received the title of “honorary speaker”.

“The most privileged nursing home in the country”

Her decision to run for a new term came amid a debate in American society about the age of its leaders. The age dean of American elected officials is Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is 90 and was recently hospitalized after a fall at home.

Last month, US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 81, suffered a moment of balance for the second time in a month, when he paused in the middle of some remarks and appeared lost. for several tens of seconds, remaining stuck and looking. In March, he suffered a concussion and was hospitalized after a fall.

These health incidents remind us of an increasingly discussed reality: America’s most powerful political leaders are much older than many of their counterparts in other democracies.

Many elected members of Congress are over 70, and the median age of members of the Senate is 65.3, according to FiveThirtyEight, the highest average ever, while the median age in the United States as a whole is 38.8.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the average age of members of the US Senate is 64, ranking seventh among all parliaments, ahead of countries with much older populations, including Japan, Italy and Greece.

And President Joe Biden’s advanced age has raised questions, especially about his ability to run for a second term. In June, the president tripped over a sandbag on stage. He also has a rather unsteady gait and is prone to verbal errors.

He could face former President Donald Trump, also 77, in next year’s election. Reuters polls show that many Americans believe neither should run for office precisely because of their age.

Last week, former Trump-era US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, now a Republican presidential candidate, again called for “mental competency tests” for elderly US leaders. “The Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country,” Nikki Haley, 51, told Fox News. (News.ro)