First, House Democrats have to actually have the problem. Playing musical chairs three weeks before a midterm election could be seen as rational preparation, or perhaps just a wee bit of hubris in what still looks like a close election.
Odds are that the GOP will lose the House majority, at least if historical trends and the current D+8.3 in the RealClearPolling aggregate average in the generic ballot hold up. That means House Democrats get all the gavels in the next session of Congress, and that has already created a big worry for Hakeem Jeffries & Co., according to Politico. Scandal-stained Maxine Waters has been a carbuncle on the House Financial Services Committee for almost as long as James Talarico has been alive, and currently serves as its Ranking Member. She'll turn 90 in the next session, and some Democrats want a "generational change," as Politico puts it:
House Democrats are poised to face a polarizing choice on the other side of the midterm elections: Shove aside one of the most prominent Black progressives in their party in favor of a middle-aged white guy with similar policy views, or potentially hand one of the most powerful chairmanships in Congress back to a nearly 90-year-old as their base clamors for generational change.
It’s poised to be one of the most contentious and high-profile fights for Democrats when they return to Washington, as Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois prepares to try to topple Rep. Maxine Waters of California in a race for the party’s top spot on the House Financial Services Committee. Casten’s likely move against Waters sets up a momentous clash over the coveted spot on the panel, which has wide-ranging jurisdiction over banking, housing, crypto, the Federal Reserve and more.
Casten’s bid starts as a long shot, but Waters is not without vulnerabilities. And her biggest is one she can do little about: her age.
At 88, Waters would be the oldest House Financial Services chair ever if control of the chamber flips. Democrats appear increasingly hungry for generational change in the wake of Joe Biden’s collapsed 2024 re-election campaign, with some in the party calling for an end to the so-called gerontocracy. House Democratic caucus rules impose no term limits on committee leaders, and Waters has led her side of the panel for 14 years, including two terms as chair.
Age isn't the only concern when it comes to Waters. She has been credibly accused of conflicts of interest involving OneUnited, a bank in which Waters and her husband invested. OneUnited ended up with $12 million in bailout funds after the 2008 financial-services crisis. Funny how that happened when Waters sat on the committee regulating the industry and influencing those bailout decisions, eh?
But sure, let's emphasize "generational change," as it certainly sounds better than "eliminating corruptocrats" ahead of a close midterm election. It's certainly a valid concern, but it would have already been handled if Democrats had applied the same term-limits policies that House Republicans adopted years ago. The anonymous House Democrat expressing this concern wants to soften the blow by embracing Waters in every other way:
“I think it’s a pretty broad appetite in our caucus for generational change, and you can’t get a more glaring case for generational change … than an 88-year-old member, who will turn 90 before the next Congress is over, clinging to the gavel,” said one senior House Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. (They added that they “have a world of respect for Maxine and her career and her values.”)
Well ... that makes one of them.
The biggest reason to boot Waters is that she's been an embarrassment for the last two decades. Besides the outright corruption surrounding the OneUnited bailout, Waters has been an outrageous demagogue, to the point of threatening public safety by encouraging people to harass Republicans in public last year. Two years ago, Waters publicly accused Trump of organizing militias for a coordinated revolt to seize power. Five years ago, Waters and Ayanna Pressley latched onto the Border Patrol "whipping" hoax to claim it was "worse than what we witnessed in slavery."
Waters belongs in a home, not in the House. Since her constituents can't bring themselves to retire this old crank, it falls to her colleagues in the House to remove her from her position of power. If they can't bring themselves to do that, there is one handy solution: let Republicans keep the House. I'm sure the GOP will be happy to cooperate.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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