Ranking The 2016 Presidential Candidates By Age

Age can be a mixed blessing in politics. On the one hand, older candidates are generally viewed as more experienced and qualified. But, older candidates can also have more trouble connecting with and mobilizing younger voters.

The average age of incoming U.S. presidents is just under 55. Interestingly, the leading 2016 candidates — Clinton, Sanders, Trump and Carson — are all well above that age. In fact, the average age of the current 2016 candidates is about 59.

With the question of age in mind, InsideGov decided to rank each candidate from youngest to oldest.

#19. Bobby Jindal

Age: 44

Jindal is 30 years younger than the oldest 2016 candidate. Although he has youth on his side, the Louisiana governor has had a hard time breaking through the Republican ranks.

#18. Marco Rubio

Age: 44

Much like Obama in the 2008 election, Rubio has been attacked for his lack of political experience. However, the young Florida senator has 15 years of elected-office experience under his belt, which is exactly the average for the 2016 candidates.

#17. Ted Cruz

Age: 44

Cruz was the first person to officially announce his candidacy for president in March 2015. Nearly nine months later, Cruz is still holding steady in the race.

#16. Martin O'Malley

Age: 52

O’Malley is significantly younger than his two Democratic opponents, but he has had trouble connecting with young voters. He’ll need to gain some serious momentum soon if he hopes to save his campaign.

#15. Rand Paul

Age: 52

Paul is right around the average age for a presidential candidate, but he’s only served four years as an elected official. The bulk of his professional experience has been as an ophthalmologist.

#14. Chris Christie

Age: 53

Despite strong debate performances, Christie has been unable to gain significant traction with primary voters.

#13. Rick Santorum

Age: 57

Santorum fared better in the 2012 election. So far, he has been unable to crack the top 10 candidates.

#12. Mike Huckabee

Age: 60

The former Arkansas governor first ran for president in 2008, when he was 53 years old. Although he lost the GOP nomination to John McCain, Huckabee became a more nationally recognized figure in the process.

#11. Lindsey Graham

Age: 60

Graham has consistently been in the bottom of the polls — he has yet to graduate from the undercard debates — but he is showing no signs of slowing down his campaign.

#10. Carly Fiorina

Age: 61

After a confident performance in the first GOP undercard debate, Fiorina broke onto the main stage in subsequent debates. She’ll need to convince voters that her business experience translates into politics.

#9. Jeb Bush

Age: 62

George W. Bush was 54 when he entered the White House. Jeb would be nearly a decade older than his brother was if he is elected president.

#8. John Kasich

Age: 63

The 63-year-old governor of Ohio has held elected office for over 26 years. Even with his considerable experience, Kasich is struggling to rise in the GOP polls.

#7. Ben Carson

Age: 64

Carson is currently leading the polls, despite the fact that he has never held elective office. The retired neurosurgeon has connected with voters with his anti-establishment brand of conservatism.

#6. Jill Stein

Age: 65

Stein is the Green Party’s 2016 presidential nominee. While she has a devoted following, she has yet to become a household name.

#5. Jim Gilmore

Age: 66

Speaking of unknown candidates, Gilmore was the most recent person to enter the GOP race. He has yet to make much of an impact. In fact, he failed to qualify for CNBC’s undercard Republican debate.

#4. Hillary Clinton

Age: 68

When Clinton campaigned against Barack Obama in 2008, she pointed to his relative lack of experience in politics. She’ll have to take a different approach with current rival Bernie Sanders.

#3. Donald Trump

Age: 69

Trump is right around the age of Ronald Reagan when he entered the White House. Although Trump has slipped to second place in the polls, his confidence has remained high.

#2. George Pataki

Age: 70

Pataki may be the oldest Republican candidate (and one of the most experienced), but he has struggled to gain ground in the race.

#1. Bernie Sanders

Age: 74

If Bernie Sanders won the 2016 election, he would be the oldest president in U.S. history; a title currently held by Ronald Reagan. Sanders has no shortage of experience in politics (he has served as an elected official for over 34 years), but critics see his age as a potential liability in office.

Research Every Candidate at InsideGov