Two members of Congress have died in March.
The recent deaths of two lawmakers who served in the House of Representatives have sparked conversations about the average age of those serving in Congress.Why It Matters
Representative Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, died on Thursday, making him the second Congressional death this month following Representative Sylvester Turner, a Texas Democrat.
The deaths come amid growing calls for longtime Congressional leaders to pass the baton to a new generation. Concerns about former President Joe Biden’s age on the campaign trail, former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell freezing during a press conference and the death of Dianne Feinstein, who declined to retire despite concerns about her age, have fueled concerns about an aging Congress.
Both the House and Senate did get a tad younger at the start of the new Congress. The median age of the House lawmakers was 57.5, and 64.7 for those in the Senate, at the start of the new Congress, down from 58.9 and 65.3 in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.What to Know
So far in the 2020s, there have been 13 members of Congress who have died while still in office.
