It seems imperative these days to draw attention to the demographics that divide us, especially as the demographic characteristics apply to our elected leaders. We all tend to preach unity and equality, all the while making sure to mention the distinctions and qualities that we need to be overcome.

From this premise we look at the Democratic leadership taking over the U.S. House of Representatives next year as a result of Tuesday’s election:

- Nancy Pelosi of California, expected to be the Democratic House speaker. She is 78 years old.

- Maxine Waters of California, who will chair the Financial Services Committee, is 80.

- Richard Neal of Massachusetts, who will chair the Ways and Means Committee, is 69.

- Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, prospective chair of the Oversight Committee, is 69.

- Jerrold Nadler, New York, who will chair the Judiciary Committee, is 71.

- Peter DeFazio, of Oregon, likely chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is 71.

- Collin Peterson of Minnesota, prospective chair of the Agriculture Committee, is 74.

- Adam Schiff of California, who likely will head the House Intelligence Committee, is the baby of the group at age 58.

To be blunt about it, the rising Democrat agenda-setters in the House are old people. So are their Republican counterparts in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is 76; Orrin Hatch, 84, of Utah is retiring as president pro tempore; Mitt Romney, elected to succeed Hatch, is 71.

And while we’re on the subject, President Trump is 72 years old.

Let that sink in for a moment. These elected officials set the legislative agenda and budget for our nation’s affairs and business.

It might seem intuitive on their part, and maybe on ours as well, to assume they would champion senior citizen causes such as Social Security and health care. But members of Congress enjoy premium health benefits for life, in addition to a government pension.

The ironic counterpoint to all this senior citizenry comes from New York state, which just elected the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, unseated a 10-term Republican to win a district seat from the New York City suburbs of Brooklyn and Queens.

She’ll join Pennsylvania’s Conner Lamb, who at 34 defeated Keith Rothfus in the newly formed 15th District of Pennsylvania and remains among the House’s youngest members; and Guy Reschenthaler of the 14th District, whose 35th birthday is later this month.

There is little doubt that younger legislators like Reschenthaler, Lamb and Ocasio-Cortez are aware of the pressure on them to represent a generation of younger Americans seeking effective government. They are certainly aware of the fact that they must accumulate some time and experience before ascending to committee leadership positions, and their constituents should realize this, too.

We wish the newcomers well and hope other young people are inspired by their conduct.