The issue of age in politics has once again come under scrutiny as an elderly Democratic contender for the Senate faces criticism for her reluctance to disclose medical records. With age increasingly becoming a pivotal factor in political debates, this decision is drawing significant attention.

Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, who is 77, has not yet committed to making her medical history public in advance of the 2026 Senate race, as reported by Axios. If Mills secures a victory, she would set a record as the oldest individual to assume the role of a freshman senator in U.S. history, beginning her term at the age of 79.

Her opponent, incumbent Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who has occupied the Senate seat since 1997, would be 74 if she were to continue in office following the election. Notably, Collins has also refrained from releasing her medical records, which adds another layer to the ongoing discourse about candidates’ health and age.

The Democratic Party has faced persistent scrutiny regarding the age of its candidates, especially following the challenges encountered during former President Joe Biden’s unsuccessful presidential bid. Biden’s notably weak debate performance against President Donald Trump in the summer of 2024 and his protracted presence in the race before ultimately withdrawing have left liberal voters cautious about backing older candidates.

Democrats have been dogged by criticisms over elderly candidates since the party propped up former President Joe Biden’s failed presidential run. 

After Biden’s disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump in the summer of 2024, and subsequent lingering in the race before withdrawing, liberal voters have much to be wary of when it comes to older candidates. 

But that has not stopped the decidedly old lawmakers from retaining power. 

Congress has more members over 70 now than at any point since 1950. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, has endorsed Mills, and already filed his paperwork to run again in 2028, when he will be 77. 

Maine Governor Janet Mills, 77, who is running for Senate in 2026, has not committed to releasing her medical records

Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins, 74, has similarly not committed to releasing her medical files

Candidate age became a large political factor during the 2024 presidential race after Joe Biden showed signs of aging, but stayed in the competition until just months before the election

Graham Platner, 41, a military veteran also running for Maine’s Senate seat in 2026, has taken veiled shots at Mills’s age during his campaign. 

‘It’s not about how old you are, it’s about how old your ideas are,’ he said during a recent MSNBC appearance. 

Additionally, a recent ad run by Platner notes how Mills ‘was a good governor’  but that ‘it’s time for change.’ 

Platner has not committed to releasing his medical records either, despite noting how he has dealt with PTSD from his deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The veteran recently caught negative headlines for some alleging he has a ‘Nazi’ tattoo on his chest. However, he has denied the ink has any nefarious connection; instead, he has called the mark a drunken mistake. 

‘I am not a secret Nazi,’ he said when asked about it recently. 

To calm concerns about her advanced age, Mills has said she would not serve more than one term if she were elected. She would be 85 years old at the end of her first potential term. 

Polls have shown that the race between Mills and Platner is close. A recent survey from SoCal Strategies showed that Mills was leading with 41 percent to Platner’s 36 percent, with 20 percent undecided. 

In this photo provided by WGME, Graham Platner, a democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, points to a cover-up tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, in Portland, Maine

As Congress has gotten older, there have been tangible impacts on the legislative branch. 

Just this year alone, there have been three lawmakers, all Democrats, who have died while holding office. 

Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C., caught flak earlier this year after announcing her decision to run again despite a local police report describing her as having ‘early stages of dementia.’ 

Senator Mitch McConnell, the longtime Senate leader, has also raised eyebrows with close to half a dozen falls over the last years that have left the veteran bruised and bandaged. 

McConnell can regularly be seen being helped through the halls of the Senate by an aide whose arm he grips for stability.