Democrats Should Put Talent Over Age, Says Top Party Consultant

Sept. 23, 2025, 4:17 PM UTC

Democrats should prioritize talent above all else in choosing their leaders, a top political consultant said as the party engages in a debate over its deference to seniority.

“We live in existential times,” Neera Tanden, the president of the Democrat-aligned think tank Center for American Progress, said at an exclusive Bloomberg Government roundtable Tuesday. “You should act like it’s existential, so you need to make decisions based on it being existential.”

“Putting your best talent in positions where they can be the face, make the case, is really important,” she said.

Tanden praised Democratic rising stars including 47-year-old Rep. Robert ...

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