Rep. Maxine Waters says voter evaluation of performance, not age alone, should determine whether someone can serve in elected office.

The 87-year-old California Democrat faces a primary challenge from 53-year-old Myla Rahman, a nonprofit executive running as a progressive candidate. Waters is among the oldest serving members of Congress and has consistently defended her ability to do the job based on her track record rather than her years in office.

What Waters Said

“What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for? What can you criticize them for?” Waters said during a Thursday Capitol Hill discussion. “If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide,” she added, arguing that voters should assess candidates based on accomplishments and effectiveness.

Waters declined to directly answer questions about whether an 80-year-old president might be too old for office. She emphasized that her daily energy and congressional work justify another term representing her district.

The Challenge

Rahman has centered her campaign on generational change, pointing out the district’s median age is 36 years old. “People want new leadership,” Rahman said, citing her experience as a renter dealing with housing affordability and raising children in the area.

Rahman framed the race as forward-looking rather than a referendum on past accomplishments. She highlighted her lived experience with current challenges facing younger constituents in the district.

Waters’ Record

Waters appeared at an anti-ICE demonstration in downtown Los Angeles in February, standing before officers in riot gear as police deployed pepper balls and tear gas. “What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said during the protest.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside City Hall before marching to the detention facility, where some agitators pushed a construction dumpster and blocked the building’s entrance, according to police.