This just in, a new RMG research poll shows that 88%, that’s right, 88% of South Dakotans support congressional term limits. It doesn’t get much higher than that. Hi, I’m Holly Robichaud and this is US Term Limits Breaking News.
South Dakota is a state we’ll be working heavily in to advance our Term Limits resolution in 2025. Our state Chair, Erin Tobin, is actively working with us and our team, and this poll will help us reinforce those efforts. The US Term Limits is the largest non-partisan, non-profit organization advocating solely for term limits. Our mission is to improve the quality of government with a citizens’ legislature that closely reflects its constituency, and is responsive to the needs of the people. The US Term Limits pledge is not a self-limit for individuals. Our aim is to limit the terms of all members of Congress as an entire institution. To find out more, go to termlimits.org.
I wanna extend a belated happy birthday to Iowa US Senator, Chuck Grassley, who turned 91 on September 17th. Senator Grassley has held elected office consecutively since 1958, and was first elected to the House in 1974, starting his career in the Senate in 1981. That’s right, he held office, one office or another, for over 65 years with 49 of those years in Washington. Currently, he still has four years left on his current term without announcements of retirement. Wow! Did you know there are 23 US House seats that are going totally unchallenged this year? Nobody’s running against them in November. No one. Think about that. Before one vote has been cast, 23 members of Congress have automatically been re-elected. In 2022, that number was 16. This is a 30% increase in uncontested incumbents over the past couple of years.
However, most incumbents aren’t that lucky. Many spend millions of dollars on advertising, but there’s a portion not paid by the super PACs or campaign contributions, but American taxpayers. That’s right, you and I are helping to pay for advertising for incumbents, regardless of if they are in our area or if we even support them. How does this happen? Through congressional spending accounts. They are traditionally used for district travel and staff payroll. But it’s an election year, and so, why not use it for advertising? And they are. Lee Fang, an investigative reporter, found that New York Representative, Tom Suozzi, who represents a swing district in Long Island, is running TV commercials paid out of his congressional spending account, that discusses how he worked across the aisle on tackling immigration issues. All it’s missing is a reminder to vote to re-elect him. Fang states that at least nine other representatives are doing the same. Well, I guess that makes it okay.
Not just TV ads, but billboards, mailers, you name it. Michigan Representative, Shri Thanedar, spent $476,000 of government money over three months this year on billboards plastered with his face and other self-promotional ads in his district. That amount is more than triple his spending on personnel and staff salaries over the same period. But get this, he paid for these ads himself, and then reimbursed himself from the congressional spending account. And this looks like a trend that will continue. In the past, Congress could not spend taxpayer dollar paid communications 90 days before the election. But in 2022, in the closing days of Congress, that all changed to 60 days. And we wonder why Congress doesn’t want term limits. Hmm.
Our Texas State Chair, Brandon Herrera, had an op-ed discussing how states can bypass Congress, that ran in The Monitor in McAllen, Texas. Of the great points, he states, “So if Congress won’t pass term limits, what can be done? Just like Presidential term limits, the states can take the initiative, calling for a convention to adopt Congressional Term Limits Amendment. When enough states request such a convention, the amendment can be proposed by the states for ratification. Term limits would return the accountability to the people and take the power away from the special interest groups in Washington. It’s time and we need term limits on Congress.” I couldn’t agree more. How about you?
I bet you’re wondering how many people have signed our pledge since we last spoke. Candidates for the state legislative seats are seeing the enthusiasm and the appeal for term limits, and they are signing our resolution. I couldn’t be happier to report that 53 2024 legislative candidates have signed our pledge over the past two weeks. That’s right, 53. Support for term limits at all levels of government is growing, and initiatives for term limits is spreading like wildfire. Term limits has become so big that it’s now being even discussed at universities. Political science professor, Binnur Ozkececi-Taner, of Hamline University in Minnesota, wrote an article for Insider Higher Education, advocating for term limits for college presidents. You’re not mistaken, college professors are now wanting term limits at their universities. The professor argues that term limits would mean a real change, including more collaboration and transparency in decision making, which would increase trust in administrators, and would fuel faculty and staff engagement. And of course, we would have a saying along with that term limits are the catalyst for greater change.
Unfortunately, opposition for any type of term limits, never goes away. And lately, opponents have become creative with their strategies on how to stop term limits votes. You may remember back in August, we told you about Cassie Mae Rogers, a Bossier City, Louisiana citizen, and member of the Bossier Term Limits Coalition, who filed a lawsuit against the Bossier City Council after it voted against accepting a certified petition to put term limits before the voters. A district judge ruled in her favor and ordered that the City Council must put term limits on the ballot. Good call. Well, the City Council not only refused to put it on the ballot, but didn’t even put the issue on the meeting agenda. That’s right. The City Council is expected to appeal to the Second Circuit Court in Louisiana. Never mind the cost to the taxpayers and the fact that all the petitions were checked and rechecked and qualified as the law says. Cassie’s expecting the appeal to happen, and is calling for an expedited hearing from the court to hopefully get it on the ballot.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, County Executive, Marc Elrich, went one worse on trying to stop term limits, a term limits proposal qualified for the November ballot in Montgomery County. It would limit the County Executive to two consecutive terms and would prevent Elrich from seeking a third term. The county also has a charter review commission that can propose amendments that can be on the ballot. One such idea of the commission was an alternative term limits amendment, that would limit the County Executive to three terms over a lifetime. Now this is where it gets interesting. Adam Pagnucco, from Montgomery Perspective, states that the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office had issued a ruling that if conflicting charter amendments passed at the same time, they would nullify each other. That’s right. Even if both passed, neither would take effect.
Elrich’s staff used county time and computers to try to help the alternative term limits amendment and push it along. Their efforts failed and the alternative term limits amendment is not on the ballot. Despite this, Elrich is actively campaigning against the term limits effort. He’s saying the old line, we already have term limits and they’re called election. Pagnucco also explains that the new committee sprouted up called, Against Question A, Make Your Vote Count, and their local teacher’s union has also been called to combat it. Additionally, Elrich is trying to get the county’s Democratic Party to oppose it and make their opposition known on the party’s sample ballot. All of this, so one person can seek a third term.
Congressional term limits can become a reality. We’ve got the momentum; we’ve got the support of the people, but we can’t do it without your help. Please go to termlimits.org and find out how you can help in your state and also help across the country. Sign up, join our volunteers, we need you. And be sure to share this program with your friends and family. And I’ll see you soon. This is Holly Robichaud, for US Term Limits Breaking News.