From the Desk of Senator LeMieux
Welcome to the latest edition of The Quill.
This is our second publication of 2025, continuing our commitment to providing thoughtful and insightful discourse on today’s most pressing public policy matters.
Each publication of The Quill features contributions from academic experts, thought leaders, policymakers, and journalists, all offering informed analysis on issues that shape Florida, the nation, and the world. In this edition, we share a timely piece by U.S. Term Limits President Philip Blumel on the growing national momentum for Congressional term limits. Currently, 12 states have formally called for term limits, a call that is receiving bipartisan support and could, if this momentum continues, reshape the landscape of government in America.
This season, the LeMieux Center’s 2025 Speaker Series continued to bring highimpact voices to campus through fireside chats with students and informative, thought-provoking Q&A sessions, which are free to the public. We opened the year with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, who provided insights on leadership and national security. In April, national security expert Elizabeth Neumann spoke about domestic threats and the importance of principled policymaking. In that same month, we were honored to welcome back PBA alumna and former CIA operative Michele Rigby Assad, whose personal story of resilience inspired both students and guests. We also heard from businessman and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who offered sharp economic insight to close the spring semester.
Each speaker emphasized the importance of civic literacy and civil discourse. By sharing their stories, we equip the next
generation with the tools needed to lead and serve effectively in a complex world.
The LeMieux Center’s Freidheim Fellows Program continues to prepare students for their leadership roles in public policy. Each year, two outstanding PBA students conduct original research on important public policy issues and present their findings in a forum that showcases the culmination of rigorous academic inquiry and practical application. The 2024-2025 Freidheim Fellows are Anna Foreman, who researched Social Security reform, and Leah Wilhoit, who researched regulations for artificial intelligence (AI). They will present their findings in the fall.
We are grateful for our dedicated Board of Advisors, our partnership with Palm Beach Atlantic University and your support. Together, we are preparing tomorrow’s leaders with wisdom, integrity, and a heart for service.
To explore past editions of The Quill or learn more about our programs, please visit: lemieuxcenter.org
George S. LeMieux U.S. Senator and Founder of The LeMieux Center for Public Policy lemieuxcenter.org
States Lead Charge for Congressional Term Limits
By Philip Blumel President, U.S. Term Limits and Host, No Uncertain Terms Podcast
While Congress is embroiled in a traditional budget fight that will provide a traditional result of more spending and a growing national debt, there is a quiet revolution brewing in the states looking to improve the makeup of Congress and the incentives faced by its members. One after another, states are officially calling for Congressional term limits.
As of mid-May 2025, three more states have done so this year: Indiana, South Dakota and South Carolina. This brings the tally to 12 since the Florida legislature kicked off the campaign in 2016.
Specifically, the states are approving
what Article V of the U.S. Constitution calls “applications” for an amendmentproposing convention which are limited to the subject of Congressional term limits. Under that Article, if two-thirds of the states approve the application, a convention call it the Term Limits Convention “shall” be held. The convention is only empowered to propose an amendment. However, if three-quarters of the states ratify the proposal, the amendment becomes part of the U.S. Constitution.
Traditionally, amendments to the Constitution have been proposed by Congress before ratification, a process also outlined in Article V. Indeed, a Congressional term limits amendment has been introduced to both houses of Congress every session for decades.
The current bills are S.J. Res. 1, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and H.J. Res. 12, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina. Together, these bills have about 65 cosponsors so far, with an additional 85 Congress members who have signed U.S. Term Limits pledges committing themselves to sign on.
Nonetheless, without enormous external pressure, it is hard to imagine Congress members voting to limit their own terms. Hence, the movement by the states to take the lead on the reform. It is quite possible the campaign by the states will provide the requisite outside pressure. History suggests so. Until 1913, the U.S. Senate ignored successful amendment legislation in the U.S. House and bipartisan calls from the public for the direct election of Senators, who were originally appointed by state legislatures.
And yet, as state after state eventually reaching 28 called for a convention on the subject of direct election, the appointed Senators saw the writing on the wall and passed the 17th amendment, scuttling the need for a convention. With Congressional term limits amendment bills introduced in Congress each year, the table is set for Congress to make a similar calculation.
The States’ First Attempt
The Term Limits Convention project is the second attempt by states and citizens to try to circumnavigate the self-interest of Congress members. The first period was between 1990 and 1994 when 23 states approved referenda nearly all of which were placed on the ballot via citizen petitions that limited the terms
of these states’ Congressional delegations.
Unfortunately for the reformers, the U.S. Supreme Court voided the 23 successful referenda in U.S. Term Limits Inc. v Thornton (1995). In this split 5-4 decision, the court ruled that Congressional term limits could only be imposed via constitutional amendment.
It should not be surprising that states would take the lead for Congressional term limits. State legislators have experience with balancing budgets and 17 states have term limits currently in effect on their legislatures.
Also, in stark contrast to incumbent members of Congress, state legislators have a personal incentive to see term limits imposed. Term limits create open seats for state legislators to run for. This motivation will presumably become more powerful as the success of the term limits movement looks more likely and less speculative.
Beyond personal experience, state legislators have data to suggest term limits encourage fiscal responsibility. Economists Dr. Randall Holcombe and Robert J. Gmeiner of Florida State University published a study examining state government budgets before and after the implementation of term limits (Holcombe & Gmeiner, 2019).
The study shows that prior to the implementation of term limits, state revenues and expenditures tended to grow at about the same rate in states that implemented term limits and those that did not. After the implementation of term limits, revenues and expenditures grew more slowly in states that
implemented them. According to Holcombe and Gmeiner, the reduction in the growth of state budgets after the implementation of term limits is both economically and statistically significant.
The Case for Term Limits
The rising term limits movement warrants revisiting other chief benefits, particularly in promoting competitive elections. Since 1970, congressional incumbents have won well over 90 percent of their races. While there are a few exceptions every cycle, the norm is for nearly every incumbent politician to get reelected who doesn’t retire, die, or get indicted. The Center for Responsive Politics notes that top spenders win over 90 percent of congressional races, with House incumbents raising four to five times more than challengers.
The fact that challengers statistically do not win dramatically affects who runs. This enormous hurdle keeps most serious, goal-oriented candidates out of the race.
This influences the choices voters face on election day. For one thing, it means there are many uncontested races where the elections are simply canceled. There were 37 such races in 2024, which is a historically middling number.
That is not the primary problem. In a far larger number of cases, the elections are nominal, lopsided affairs. That is, they are not uncontested, but
undercontested. Due to the enormous advantages of the incumbent, it is easy to predict who will win in advance.
Term limits supporters believe that fundamental change is not possible in a system based on seniority in which incumbents funded by special interests statistically cannot lose. Change can only really occur via competitive openseat elections. And term limits create open-seat elections in every district every six to eight years, or whatever the term limit is.
Additional benefits of term limits include:
• Improved Citizen Access
• Attracting Better Candidates
• Broader Experience
• Weakened Special Interests
• Increased Transparency
• Reduced Corruption
• Satisfying Voter Demand
If enough states call for a Term Limits Convention and public engagement grows, Congress may face pressure to act, as it did with the 17th Amendment. With 12 states already on board and strong public support, the movement is gaining momentum. The coming years will reveal whether Congress will propose term limits or if a convention will force the issue, reshaping American governance.
The LeMieux Center for Public Policy at Palm Beach Atlantic University provides a space for reasoned, thoughtful and civil discourse on pressing public policy issues confronting Florida, the United States and the world.
Your support allows the Center to continue with our mission. We invite you to give today online at pba.edu
Philip Blumel is president of U.S. Term Limits, a national advocacy organization, and host of its biweekly podcast No Uncertain Terms. Blumel lives in West Palm Beach and is a Certified Financial Planner working with Janney Montgomery Scott. See www.termlimits.com.
The views expressed represent those of the author, not necessarily the author’s employer or Palm Beach Atlantic University.
LeMieux Center Advisory Board
Senator George S. LeMieux Chair, LeMieux Center Gunster
Frances Fisher Vice-Chair, LeMieux Center Dedicated Volunteer
James Donnelly Castle Group
Mitzi Freidheim Dedicated Volunteer
Margie Helmholdt Lou Church Foundation
James C. Jenkins Esko, Inc.
Josh Kellam The Garcia Companies
Paul M. Lawless Lawless, Edwards and Warren
William M. Matthews Private Investor
Mario Murgado Brickell Motors
Joe Negron GEO Group, Inc.
John Radtke Zeus Financial, LLC
J. Kimble Vardaman Ratliff, Jr. Southwood Family Holdings, LLC
Robert Taylor Burdette Beckmann, Inc.
Karl Watson, Jr. Baker Construction Enterprises, Inc.
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