Top leadership Democrat announces sudden exit from Congress as geriatric leadership plagues party

A longtime Democratic congressman from New York has announced that he will not be seeking reelection in the 2026 midterm cycle.

Representative Jerry Nadler, 78, has represented New York City’s Upper West Side for over three decades, and his decision comes as the Big Apple has been steadily swinging towards younger socialist leaders such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

In an interview with The New York Times, Nadler cited the spectacle made of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline as a key reason for his decision to announce his departure from Congress.

Biden’s disastrous performance in last year’s presidential debate escalated the scrutiny of the age and health of top leaders in the Democrat party.

‘Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,’ Nadler noted to the New Times, adding that a younger successor ‘can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.’

‘This decision has not been easy. But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation,’ Nadler noted in a statement issued by his office Tuesday.

Nadler played a key role in the impeachment trials of President Donald Trump during his time as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a role in which he served from 2019 to 2022.

‘That leadership includes impeaching Donald Trump twice– first for abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and second for inciting an insurrection against the American people,’ Nadler also noted.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) speaks during New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s press conference at the 1199SEIU headquarters on August 11, 2025 in New York City

Former President Joe Biden looks on as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024

Progressive strategist Charlotte Clymer noted on X that Nadler’s decision to step aside is what true ‘leadership looks like’, and that ‘he’s passing the torch and doing his part to center and strengthen the next generation of Democratic leadership.’

Former journalist and congressional candidate John Avlon wrote on X that ‘Jerry Nadler was elected to Congress when I was a freshman in college. He’s had a long record of service to New York and should be honored for that. Also, we need term limits.’

A number of top Democrats have experienced health scares in the last few years, with some dying in office.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was rushed to the hospital for dehydration during June’s scorching hot temperatures, which reached 100 degrees this summer.

Back in December, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, fell during a trip to Luxembourg, and subsequently underwent hip replacement surgery.

Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washingto

U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler in New York City on June 18, 2025

Virginia Democrat Congressman Gerry Connolly died at the age of 75 in May, shortly after sharing that he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

In under the last two years, five other Democratic members of Congress also died while serving out their terms.

Connolly’s colleague Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died at the age of 70 in March from unknown reasons. His passing came amid reports he was battling cancer in his jaw since before the election in November 2024.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona died of lung cancer at the age of 77 on March 13, and 87-year-old Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey died after weeks of respiratory issues on August 21, 2024.

Then Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died at the age of 74 of pancreatic cancer on July 19, 2024 and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr., 65, died of undisclosed health reasons on April 24 of last year.

Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sep 1st, 2025 in New York City

The popularity, or lack thereof, of other longtime Democratic leaders has also been called into question in recent months.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer ranked 26th out of 29 high-profile Democrats on the latest DailyMail+ Power List released last month.

Nadler’s news comes mere weeks after an analysis of Americans’ voter registration habits showed potential long-term trouble for the Democratic Party.

Data analyzed by the New York Times revealed that the number of registered Democrats has declined in every state that tracks voter affiliation by party—a group that includes 30 of America’s 50 states.

The remaining 20 states do not register voters by party.

This trend was consistent between swing states, red states, and blue states.

The Times noted in their analysis that explicitly, ‘fewer and fewer Americans are choosing to be Democrats.’

The Times attributed Trump’s sweeping 2024 victory—including wins in every swing state and the national popular vote—to this very trend.