Longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler faces Dem primary challenge from 26-year-old Liam Elkind

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday became the latest septuagenarian House Democrat facing a primary challenge after 26-year-old Liam Elkind launched a bid for his seat.Why it matters: Elkind is drawing on concerns that Nadler, the 78-year-old former Judiciary Committee chair and dean of the New York congressional delegation, is too old to effectively fight President Trump.Nadler was effectively pushed out as Judiciary Committee ranking member last year amid a challenge from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).Nadler told Axios in May that he is nevertheless running for reelection: "I want to continue serving ... there's still a lot of things I want to do that have to be done."Driving the news: Elkind seized on Democrats' old age issue and lawmakers' unpopularity with their own grassroots base in an ad announcing his bid, casting Nadler as a central figure in those dynamics."The same people are using the same old tactics, but they're losing," he says in the ad. "Our leaders need to answer the call now, and they aren't."In the ad, Elkind asks Nadler to retire: "I appreciate his 50 years in office. I grew up voting for him. But we need new leaders to meet this moment."Elkind, a graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar, leads Invisible Hands Deliver, a non-profit founded during the pandemic to deliver groceries and medicine to the sick and elderly.The other side: "Last time I checked Congressman Nadler was just re-elected last November by 80% of the vote and 3 years ago he soundly defeated another 30-year incumbent in a contested primary," Nadler spokesperson Robert Gottheim told Axios in a statement.Gottheim added: "But this is the great thing about America, it's a democracy (hopefully still with Donald Trump in the White House) and anybody can run.""And he'll put his over 30-year record of accomplishments against anyone including someone who appears to have no record of accomplishment to speak of."Zoom out: Nadler is one of more than a dozen House Democrats who are 70 or older and facing a primary challenge from a younger opponent.More than half of the 30 House Democrats over 75 have told Axios they plan to run for reelection — though one of them, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), has since announced plans to retire."Some older members are still effective, some older members aren't," Nadler told Axios in May. "As long as you're effective, that's fine. And if someone thinks you're not effective, see if they can persuade the electorate in your district."

Comments

World news

Ontario court upholds sex assault sentence for man who removed condom

National Post

Comments

Similar News

Africville descendants show support for longtime protester Eddie Carvery

Longtime lawmaker shapes the debate as Arizona grapples with dwindling water supplies

All eyes on Ghislaine Maxwell as longtime Epstein aide seeks prison relief

Exclusive: Longtime critic Sen. Warren defends Fed in White House attacks

Longtime Blue Jays pitcher Jim Clancy dead at 69

Longtime WaPo columnist quit after editors spiked column for being ‘too opinionated’

Broadway star Celeste Holm's longtime Manhattan home put on the market for $14million by estranged son following her death

World news

Ontario court upholds sex assault sentence for man who removed condom

Why Australia wiped billions off student loans for millions of people

What does recognising Palestine as a state actually mean?

An LGBTQ+ cafe’s neon sign became a beacon for hate in Berlin

The secrets inside the ‘chamber of horrors’ being exhumed at Ireland’s mass baby grave

Two boys stumbled across ‘a jumble of bones’ at a derelict baby home. Their discovery will haunt Ireland forever

Lithuania Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas steps down after investigations and protests

Trump threatens Canada trade deal over support for Palestinian state

Sobbing Ryanair passenger stopped from boarding plane ‘felt like a criminal’

I’ve studied tsunamis for 25 years – here are the deadly warning signs one is on its way

Thunderstorm warning issued as parts of England battered by rain and hail

Mapped: Which countries recognise Palestine as a state?

A tiny city nicknamed a ‘tsunami magnet’ saw the highest waves in continental US after the earthquake

Over 50 safety lapses found at Air India by the country's aviation watchdog

Tsunami warnings still in place after 8.8 magnitude Russian earthquake

If you’re spending more than a fiver on a T-shirt, you’re a mug

Concerns grow for 3 OSCE workers jailed since shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Meet the multimillionaire who wants to be Bolivia's first right-wing president elected in 20 years

Guatemalan town struggles to recover after border shootout

First Australian-made rocket crashes after 14 seconds of flight in a failed attempt to reach orbit

Brit tries Benidorm's 'roughest pub crawl' and things take terrifying turn

How did Russia avoid major damage from earthquake and tsunami?

Russia hits Kyiv with missile and drone attack, killing 6 and injuring 52

Gaza latest: Canada joins UK and France in plan to recognise Palestinian state while starvation deaths rise

Arab nations tell Hamas to ‘disarm’ and end rule of Gaza after Starmer ultimatum

Pregnant sea turtle returns to the ocean off Florida after treatment for a boat strike

This country will be underwater by 2050 — and citizens are entering a bleak competition to escape

I’m a nanny – the way kids watch films terrifies me

I tried 11 baked beans brands and one was the clear winner

The most – and least – expensive market towns for first-time buyers

I swapped my phone for a camera – and my kids got the attention they craved

BBC Radio 2 hits two-decade listener low as rival Boom Radio soars

Trump is on the ropes as Maga turns against Israel

UK won’t lose Israeli intelligence despite Netanyahu’s fury over Gaza ultimatum

Consumer alert as ‘no-win, no fee’ firms get set for car finance scandal ruling

Ollie Watkins is the £60m bargain Arsenal and Man Utd won’t take

David Moyes is making all the wrong noises about Everton’s new era

Scoop: Massie blindsided Mike Johnson on Trump truce

Delta flight diverted to Minneapolis after severe turbulence: 25 hospitalized

Trump: Canada backing Palestinian statehood makes striking a trade deal "very hard"

Chinese researchers suggest lasers and sabotage to counter Musk’s Starlink satellites

Delta Airlines Amsterdam flight makes diversion as several passengers injured

Mum's holiday fury as Italian seaside town 'shoulder to shoulder' with tourists

Thursday Briefing: Trump’s Steep Tariffs on Brazil

SpaceX Set to Launch NASA’s Crew-11 Mission to the Space Station

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kremlin says it is immune to sanctions after Trump’s 10-day ultimatum to Putin

Search for answers after Texas' deadly floods brings lawmakers to devastated Hill Country

Fact check: Oprah Winfrey did NOT block access to a private road amid tsunami warning evacuations

‘Panama Playlists’ claims to expose Spotify libraries of JD Vance, Pam Bondi and other prominent figures

Judge dismisses Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit over deadly ‘Rust’ shooting case

'Over-evacuation' may have prompted traffic problems before tsunami hit Hawaii, officials say

Suspect arrested following manhunt for killer of couple at Devil’s Den park in Arkansas

Tsunami warnings remain in place for South America after volcano eruption and major earthquake off Russian coast: Live

Teen left with ‘significant’ burns from stepping in thermal crust while hiking in Yellowstone

I reported damp and mould – so my landlord hiked up the rent by £400 and kicked us out

Dentist who poisoned wife's protein shakes - and gave fatal dose of cyanide - jailed for life

Bail denied for Luciano Frattolin, charged with murder in nine-year-old daughter's death

Vaccine researcher with green card held at San Francisco airport for a week and faces deportation

Senate Democrats' bid to block $675 million Israeli arms deal fails

Trump ends de minimis exemption for tariffs, imposes copper, Brazil levies