Rep. Maxine Waters rejected the notion that age should disqualify elected officials from serving, saying voters – not arbitrary age thresholds – should determine who holds office.
The 87-year-old California Democrat made the comments Thursday during a Capitol Hill exchange following a Working Families press conference. Waters has served South Los Angeles in Congress for 35 years and is currently facing a primary challenge from a younger progressive candidate.
What Waters Said on Age and Leadership
When asked whether younger Americans have a valid point that some leaders are too old to serve, Waters declined to accept age as a determining factor. “What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for?” Waters said. “If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide.”
Waters emphasized that performance should guide voter decisions. “Performance and effectiveness,” she said when agreeing that accomplishments matter more than age.
When pressed on whether a 100-year-old candidate should be allowed to serve, Waters remained firm. “The people should evaluate who should be in office with their vote, and that’s it,” she said.
The Primary Challenge
Waters is competing against 53-year-old Myla Rahman, a nonprofit executive, in the June Democratic primary. Rahman has made generational change a centerpiece of her campaign, noting that the district’s average age is 36 years old.
“She’s a force… Since I was 6 years old, she’s been in office, but as I do my work in the community, people want new leadership,” Rahman said. She highlighted her experiences as a renter and mother navigating housing affordability and schools in the district.
Waters countered that her experience and daily energy justify her re-election bid. “The Democratic Party is working as it normally does,” Waters said. “They will choose their candidates based on the relationships that they have, the work that they have done, the interests that they have shown – not about age.”
Waters’ Recent Activities
In February, Waters participated in an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, chanting “ICE out of L.A.” near a federal detention center. “What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said while standing before officers in riot gear.
The demonstration later escalated, with police deploying pepper balls and tear gas to disperse crowds after agitators blocked the detention facility’s entrance. Los Angeles police arrested multiple individuals following dispersal orders.