Jeffries is letting Democrats' age issue work itself out

• "Look, you can't go anywhere right now as a Democrat and not hear from constituents that we have a problem in our caucus," one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts, told Axios.
• "Everyone knows the last eight people who died in office were Democrats ... and they feel like this is us heading into battle with our hands tied behind our back."

State of play: Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), 78, and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), 78, dropped their bids for reelection in recent weeks rather than battle younger primary rivals to stay in office.

• They join Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), 81, Danny Davis (D-Ill.), 83, and Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), 71, all of whom retired in the face of primary challenges.
• The list likely won't end there, with several House Democrats telling Axios to expect additional retirements.

Driving the news: Nadler told the New York Times that the furor over former President Biden's age last year "said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that."

• Nadler had initially told Axios in May he planned to run, but said in an interview Tuesday he was "thinking about it more and it just seemed the right time to do it. I've been in office 50 years."
• "I think generational change renews a party."
• Davis told Axios in an interview about his decision to retire: "On Saturday, I'm going to be 84 years old. Most people have retired. It was just time to go and let my community begin to build up seniority with another member."

Yes, but: Many House Democrats 70 and older are pushing back against the idea they should make room for the next generation of leaders.

• "Seniority still counts, experience still matters," said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), 77. "'Generational change,' what does that mean? That means you start at the bottom in the system of seniority."
• "You have to work your way up to get here, and now that you're here, you say ... 'Now's the time for me to leave'? Why would you?"
• Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), 76, told Axios: "You can't have just all generational change. There's a lot that this House needs: People who have experience ... established, long-standing relationships."

What they're saying: Jeffries, asked about Nadler at a press conference on Tuesday, told reporters, "I think that generational change has been underway in the House Democratic caucus for the last several years."

• "It's something that every caucus member, regardless of which generation they find themselves in, has embraced."
• Asked whether Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), 88, should retire, Jeffries told Axios that, as in the cases of Nadler, Schakowsky and Davis, "that's a decision that will be made by that individual."
• The Democratic leader said he met with Holmes Norton — who has faced considerable public scrutiny over her fitness for office — before the August recess but did not weigh in further on that conversation.

What we're hearing: Nadler, Davis and Doggett told Axios they did not speak with Jeffries before announcing their retirements and they felt no pressure from leadership to step aside.

• The House Democrat who spoke anonymously said there have been "colleague-to-colleague conversations" in which older lawmakers have been told, "It's time to let somebody else lead."
• Another message to older members, a senior House Democrat said, is that stepping down shows "a lot of statesmanship, because they're saving our party from internal conflict that would drain away tens of millions of dollars."

The bottom line: Some older members simply aren't going down without a fight.

• Larson said of his challengers: "They're not saying what they're running on, other than 'generational change.' God bless 'em."
• Cohen said he suspects he will face a primary challenger but that he is "not worried about it."
• "It'd be a mistake for somebody to run against me," he told Axios. "Whoever succeeds me will probably not be somebody who runs against me, but somebody whom I choose to endorse."