Facing Younger Primary Challenger, Waters Says No One Is Too Old To Serve

Rep. Maxine Waters, facing a younger primary challenger, doubled down Thursday on her belief that voter performance—not age—should determine who serves in elected office.

The 87-year-old California Democrat responded to questions about generational leadership during a Capitol Hill exchange, rejecting suggestions that age thresholds should restrict politicians from serving. Waters has represented South Los Angeles for 35 years and is defending her seat against progressive challenger Myla Rahman, a 53-year-old nonprofit executive.

What Voters Should Evaluate

“What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for? What can you criticize them for? If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide,” Waters told a producer who asked whether some leaders are simply too old for office.

When pressed on whether performance metrics matter more than age, Waters nodded toward a different standard. “Performance and effectiveness,” she said, emphasizing that voters should judge candidates on their accomplishments rather than birth dates.

The Trump Question

The conversation pivoted to President Donald Trump after Waters was asked whether an 80-year-old commander in chief might be too old, referencing past concerns about former President Joe Biden’s age. Waters sidestepped the hypothetical and instead attacked the sitting president’s record.

“The president of the United States is destroying our democracy. He’s made unkept promises. He is enriching himself and his family with cryptocurrency. He is absolutely committed to empowering himself,” Waters said.

When asked directly if there should be constitutional age limits for the presidency, Waters held firm: “The people should evaluate who should be in office with their vote, and that’s it.”

A Primary Test

Waters’ comments arrive as she fights for political survival in June’s Democratic primary. Rahman has argued that the district’s median age of 36 demands younger representation with firsthand understanding of current economic pressures.

“Since I was 6 years old, she’s been in office, but as I do my work in the community, walk through the districts, talk to people, people want new leadership,” Rahman said. “When you talk about relatability, when you talk about going to the store, the price of affordability – I’m a renter.”

Waters countered that her decades of experience and daily commitment to the role make her the better choice. “The Democratic Party is working as it normally does. 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,” she said.

Recent Activism

Waters remained visible in Los Angeles politics this month, appearing at an anti-ICE protest downtown in February where she stood in riot gear near federal detention officers. “What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” she said as pepper balls and tear gas filled the air.

The demonstration later escalated when agitators pushed construction equipment and blocked facility entrances, prompting police to deploy dispersal measures and make multiple arrests.