General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What's with all the Ageism in These Threads?? [View all]Chitown Kev
(2,197 posts)Democratic nominees for president that go on to win the White House skew younger...considerably younger....than Republican nominees for President that win the White House.
Truman and LBJ were exceptions, of course, but they were also following Presidents that died in office who first took office at a relatively young age.
Leaving aside Truman and LBJ, the oldest Democrat that won his first term in office was Jimmy Carter at the age of 52 (younger than Nixon, Eisenhower, Reagan, and Bush 41).
EDIT: (In fact, when LBJ became president on 11/22/63, he was younger than Nixon, Eisenhower, Reagan, and Bush 41 were upon those Republicans first winning election).
Since Woodrow Wilson, 3 Democratic Presidents won their first term of office prior to turning 50 (JFK, Clinton, Obama) and FDR was 50 when he won in 1932.
I think the pattern for Dems who are elected president is very clear...if we can debate why that is, I think this conversation can get somewhere.