The turnover needs to increase

The 114th Congress has some interesting demographics.  There are 61 House members who are currently serving in their first year in Congress.  82 House Members are in their third year in Congress (there are two more who are in their second year)  145 out of 434  If you include them and calculate the average length of service in Congress, you get to the number 9.5 years of service.  Take out the freshman class and it goes up to 10.9.  Take out the sophomore class and it goes up to 13.2.

289 members of the House have an average of 6+ terms of service.  John Conyers, the longest serving member of the House is in the middle of his 26th elected term.  He is running for reelection, at the age of 86.  At least the voters in Manhattan will have a choice other than 84 year old Charles Rangell.  He has pledged not to seek a 43rd term in the House.


Over in the Senate, Vermont's Patrick Leahy is seeking another term, to build on the 41 years he's served thus far.  Apparently at 75, he feels that seven terms isn't enough and he needs an 8th.  Considering the average Senate member has served just under 12 years, Leahy is a bit out of step.  Or is he?

California's Senator Barbara Boxer isn't seeking reelection this November.  She's 75.  Dianne Feinstein's next election will be in 2018, if she runs again.  If she does, she will be 85 years old on election day.

We can't institute term limits for members of the House and Senate, according to the U. S. Supreme Court.  The bottom line is that because the deck is stacked in favor of incumbents, and because of the pervasive influence of Super PAC money, it's damn tough to beat a member of Congress who is seeking reelection.

During the reelection campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1984, a lot of people worried about his age.  Made noises about Alzheimer's and other potential infirmities.  Why doesn't that kind of thing come up in the campaigns for the House and Senate?