You may not remember him, but David Hogg has the Democratic National Committee (as well as members of the Republican party) in a tizzy.

Hogg, age 25, has drawn ire and praise from Democrats for his move to get involved in the party’s congressional primaries, part of what he says is an effort to bring about generational change.

Hogg has seen his profile steadily grow since he first burst onto the political scene following the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when he was a senior. He became one of the leading voices of the gun control movement and later co-founded March for Our Lives.

In February, Hogg was elected a vice chair of the DNC. And in April, he made waves when his group Leaders We Deserve launched a $20 million initiative aimed at primarying incumbent Democrats in safe House seats with the hope of electing a new generation of members.

Hogg is a problem for aging congressional members. This Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history, with an average member age of 58.9, according to an NBC News analysis of congressional membership.

I bring this up because during last weeks “A Public Interview” with Congressman Mike Thompson, conducted by the League of Women Voters of Yolo County, Thompson tried to brush off the issue after being asked what he is doing to support younger party leadership, in view of several recent deaths of aged Democratic lawmakers.

Thompson was speaking before an “older” audience of those over 50. Few people younger than age 40 were present.

Thompson is 74 years old. His term ends Jan. 3, 2027 and he has already said he’ll run again in 2026, which would make him 76 if he wins. Nearby Democratic congressmembers are also old. Doris Matsui of the 7th District is 80. John Garamendi of the 8th District is also 80.

Thompson tried to minimize talk about the advanced age of congressmembers, saying “I gotta tell ya for every old member who people think oughta take a powder, I can give you two young people who need to take a powder too,” noting both Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert are both “pretty young.”

Thompson also said he is serving as a “mentor” to members of his staff to become politically active and that some of them have gone on to become members of locally elected offices.

Mentoring is one thing, cultivating or fostering a replacement is another, and few in Congress are trying to find and nurture preferably younger replacements.

I have nothing against Thompson. Our politics are probably pretty close to one another. But I also know there comes a time for “younger blood” to take over, which is one reason I retired at age 66, the average retirement age nationwide.

You can’t hide your age forever.

I think some of the reason that the Democratic Party isn’t drawing so much attention these days is because congressmembers like Thompson are unwilling to fight the good fight because they’ve been doing it so long. They know how the political game is played and continue playing it as they always have.

It seems to me that we need a younger generation of leaders who can try new things and speak for younger voters. Thompson can help by identifying and training a qualified replacement.

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.