Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has joined forces with a Democrat to challenge the Washington swamp’s most protected privilege: unlimited congressional careers that turn public service into personal profit.
Story Highlights
- DeSantis partners with former Democrat Congressman David Trone to lead bipartisan push for congressional term limits
- Campaign calls Congress a “retirement home” for career politicians focused on reelection over results
- Twelve states have already passed resolutions supporting a constitutional convention for term limits
- Movement bypasses Congress entirely, using state-level action to force constitutional amendment
DeSantis Leads Bipartisan Challenge to Congressional Establishment
Governor Ron DeSantis announced his role as co-chair of a national campaign for congressional term limits alongside former Maryland Democratic Congressman David Trone on October 22, 2025. The partnership, coordinated through the nonpartisan group U.S. Term Limits, directly challenges the Washington establishment’s stranglehold on power. DeSantis and Trone published a joint New York Times op-ed calling Congress “less a representative body and more like an elite country club of career politicians.”
The campaign targets congressional incumbency rates exceeding 90 percent, which have created a permanent political class insulated from voter accountability. DeSantis emphasized that “D.C. will never fix itself” and term limits would shift congressional focus “from reelection to tangible accomplishments.” This rare bipartisan cooperation demonstrates how frustration with Washington’s dysfunction transcends party lines among Americans demanding genuine reform.
State-Led Constitutional Convention Strategy Bypasses Congress
The term limits movement employs a constitutional strategy that completely sidesteps congressional resistance. Twelve states have passed resolutions calling for an Article V constitutional convention specifically for term limits, requiring 34 states total to trigger the process. DeSantis traveled to Ohio in October 2025 to advocate for state-level resolutions, working directly with state legislative leaders to advance the cause without federal interference.
This approach circumvents Congress entirely, recognizing that incumbent legislators will never voluntarily limit their own power. The Supreme Court’s 1995 ruling in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton established that only a constitutional amendment can impose congressional term limits, making state-led action the sole viable path. Two congressional resolutions currently exist with limited support: House Joint Resolution 12 has 103 cosponsors while Senate Joint Resolution 1 has only 18.
Breaking the Career Politician Protection Racket
Congressional term limits would fundamentally disrupt the career politician system that prioritizes personal advancement over constituent service. The movement addresses widespread public cynicism toward a Congress dominated by long-serving members who accumulate power, influence, and wealth while American families struggle with inflation, illegal immigration, and government overreach. DeSantis and Trone argue that citizen legislators would restore accountability and responsiveness to the people’s priorities.
‘Retirement home’: Ron DeSantis teams up with Democrat to push for congressional term limits https://t.co/c5GYMdCE9y
— ConservativeLibrarian (@ConserLibrarian) October 22, 2025
The campaign faces constitutional hurdles, as only 27 amendments have been adopted throughout American history despite over 11,000 proposals. However, broad public support for term limits across party lines provides momentum that previous efforts lacked. Constitutional scholars note the difficulty of the amendment process, but reform advocates argue that bipartisan leadership and state-level organization could overcome historical obstacles to achieve this fundamental structural change.
Sources:
DeSantis Teams Up With Democrat David Trone on Congressional Term Limits Push
DeSantis and Trone Join U.S. Term Limits as Co-Chairs
Term Limits Amendment Would Face Uphill Battle
Governor Ron DeSantis Advocates Constitutional Amendment for Congressional Term Limits
