Earlier this year, Townhall covered how 2024 GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said that it’s “unlikely” that President Joe Biden would make it through a second term as president. Biden is turning 81 towards the end of the year. In addition, Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s health has raised questions on whether there should be age limits on elected officials.
The majority of Americans believe that there should be an age cap as an eligibility requirement for presidential candidates, according to a new poll conducted by Quinnipiac.
The poll found that 61 percent of American voters support a maximum age limit to be eligible to run for president. On the other hand, 34 percent of voters disagree (via Quinnipiac):
There is strong support among all listed groups. Independents (66 - 28 percent), Democrats (60 - 37 percent), and Republicans (57 - 39 percent) back the idea of setting maximum age limits. As for what the maximum age limit should be for candidates to be eligible to run for president: 30 percent of voters say 70 years old, 19 percent say 75 years old, 5 percent say 80 years old, 2 percent say 85 years old, and 34 percent of voters oppose setting any age limit.
As for candidates to be eligible to run for the United States House of Representatives and Senate, voters 66 - 30 percent support setting a maximum age limit. Independents (71 - 25 percent), Democrats (66 - 32 percent), and Republicans (64 - 33 percent) support setting a maximum age limit for candidates to be eligible to run for Congress.
"In what can only be perceived as a plea for younger blood in the corridors of power, a majority of voters say candidates should be aged out once they cross a certain threshold," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in the write-up.
In the findings, voters 68 to 28 percent think that Biden is too old to effectively serve another 4-year term as president. As for former President Donald Trump, voters 63 to 34 percent think that he is not too old to effectively serve another term.
Earlier this month, a new poll from The Economist/YouGov found that 76 percent of respondents said there should “be a maximum age for someone in the U.S. to serve as” president.
