Young Elected Leaders: Perspectives on Age and Elected Leaders
Half Day Short Course
9:00am – 1:00pm
In recent election cycles, candidate age has become a growing focal point in both public discourse and scholarly research. As elected officials at the federal and state levels trend older, questions about representation, generational turnover, and public perceptions of age in leadership have become increasingly urgent. This half-day short course, hosted by the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics, provides a timely and data-rich exploration of this topic.
The course will feature the official launch of a comprehensive new database from the Eagleton Young Elected Leaders Project, which captures the ages of all federal and state legislative elected officials nationwide from 2002 to the present. Participants will gain exclusive access to the most recent version of the dataset and explore how age intersects with public opinion, political behavior, and institutional change.
The session will include a mix of research presentations, data demonstrations, and idea-sharing discussions on how scholars can use the new dataset to advance work on youth representation, generational politics, and age diversity in government. Whether you’re already engaged in this field or are just beginning to explore it, this short course offers an exciting opportunity to join a growing community of scholars focused on the role of age in American politics.