US Election: Presidential Age, Race and Gender

The Facts

• OVERVIEW: The dynamics of age, race, and gender have been prominent issues during the 2024 US presidential election, with data from Google showing a significant number of searches concerning the current candidates' characteristics at this stage of the electoral process than were seen within the last four election cycles.

• AGE: In order to run for election, presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old, while candidates for the Senate and House must be a minimum of 30 and 25, respectively. At 78 years old, Joe Biden became the oldest president at the time of his inauguration, surpassing his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was inaugurated at age 70. The median age of all US presidents at the first inauguration is 55.

• GENDER: Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president in 1872, while the first woman to appear on a major party ballot was Geraldine Ferraro, who ran for vice president in 1984. In 2008, John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate and in 2020 Kamala Harris was elected America's first female vice president. The first female presidential candidate on a major party ticket was Hillary Clinton in 2016, with Harris being the second such nominee.