Battenfeld: Ancient fossils running Massachusetts delegation while Democrats attack Trump’s age

While Democrats attack Donald Trump for his age and mental fitness, two ancient fossils lead the Massachusetts delegation with no indication they plan to give up their taxpayer-funded gigs.

Sen. Ed Markey will be 80 in 2026 when his term is up but he recently said he’s not going anywhere.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is 75 and apparently cruising to reelection this year despite her far-left views and increasingly divisive rhetoric. She is the “senior” senator from Massachusetts, an apt description. If she wins, she’ll be 81 when her term expires.

So is Massachusetts really ready to turn the page on new leadership?

Markey was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was president. Before that, he was a state legislator. He’s been sucking on the public sector almost his whole adult life.

“This is the most energized I’ve ever been,” Markey said this month when he announced he’s going to run for reelection again. “It’s not your age, it’s the age of your ideas.”

Markey sounds almost exactly like Joe Biden before Democrats led by 84-year-old Nancy Pelosi forced the president out of the race because of his age.

Yet hypocritical Democrats are now saying Trump’s age and lack of mental fitness should disqualify him from running again.

We’ll soon see if voters are buying that.

The U.S. Senate is well known for lawmakers staying in their seats until they die.

“I’m ready for the fight,” said the spry Markey, who survived a bruising battle against a much younger Joe Kennedy a few years ago. “I’m ready to stand for reelection and that is my full intention.”

The median age of senators is now 65 years old, but even Markey and Warren are on the high side of that.

Massachusetts Democrats like to think of themselves as the party of young progressive leadership but the facts say otherwise.

On the House side, Rep. William Keating is 72 and Rep. Richard Neal is 75 but usually face only token opposition every two years, guaranteeing their cushy jobs continue.

In the Massachusetts Legislature, where incumbency powers quash any resistance, House Speaker Ron Mariano leads with an iron fist at the ripe age of 78. He has served in the House since 1991.

Yet there is hope the voters will come to their senses eventually and stop reelecting these same grizzled lawmakers every two or six years. A UMass Amherst poll showed that 72% of Massachusetts residents back an age limit for U.S. senators. Unfortunately, it’s too late for a ballot question to stop Warren.

While Republican opponent John Deaton is putting up a decent fight and has even been able to air TV ads, he’s running in a presidential turnout year in a heavily leaning Democratic state. Polls show Warren running a roughly 20-point lead.

But if ever there was a year for Massachusetts voters to send a message, this is it.