Should Age Be a Factor in the 5th Congressional District Race?

The race for the 5th Congressional District pits Civil Rights icon John Lewis against former Fulton County Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson.

Lewis, who built his legacy in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and other stalwarts of that era, has made his experience and that part of his life a central part of his campaign.

In campaign literature, he calls those days of getting arrested for equality and the right to vote "Getting into good trouble."

But more than four decades later — despite the importance of those efforts — does it still resonate with today's voters, who go to the polls July 31 to cast their ballots in the primaries?

By extension, it calls to mind Lewis' age, 72. Johnson is 44.

Johnson has said the election should be about the issues of today and not so much about the concerns of the past.

But in a recent Huffington Post piece, Alan Grayson, former U.S. Congressman from Florida's 8th District, takes umbrage with age being an issue. He writes:

Attempting to disparage John Lewis's civil rights accomplishments, Lewis's African-American opponent said recently: "This election is not about where we were 45 or 50 years ago in the past." Lewis replied: "If it hadn't been for what I and others did 45 and 50 years ago, he wouldn't be able to run.

What it comes down to is this: If all you've got to say in a political campaign is: "I came out of my mother's womb after the other guy did," that ain't much. Especially against John Lewis's heroic, lifelong record of enormous accomplishments. There is no statute of limitations on heroism.

Even so, voters in the 5th Congressional District, which includes the Old Fourth Ward, Glenwood Park, East Atlanta, Reynoldstown and Poncey-Highland, may not connect as much with that message.

The average age of residents in the 30312 Zip code, which includes Old Fourth Ward, is 30.9. In 30307, which includes Inman Park, it's 32.5. And in 30316, which includes East Atlanta, Glenwood Park and Reynoldstown, it's 32.1.

For those voters, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is history in an America where a number of elected officials in major U.S. are black, Asian and Latino.

And President Barack Obama himself is bi-racial.

What do you think? Are the issues of the past still relevant in this race? Is age a factor in your decision on which candidate will get your vote?