There are many conclusions to be had from the midterms, and while we've discussed a few of them, analyzing our Republic's continued division and the need for robust election security, one aspect from this and recent election cycles stands out above the rest - Americans are tired of the same career politicians running a continually dysfunctional government. More than anything else, they're tired of a broken Congress that fails to deliver on the needs of hard-working families. This is not only reflected in polling, as public approval for Congress hasn't reached 50% in nearly two decades, but also in who the electorate favors during the primaries - the unconventional, non-establishment, outsider candidate without ties to the political system that frustrates so many.
While there were certainly many candidates like this during the midterms, as 284 Congressional incumbents faced primary challenges, only 15 were successful. Thus, general election voters were often stuck between an incumbent they voted against and a challenger they deem far worse. This resulted in local political parties in-fighting and has led to many voters simply giving up on becoming involved in the political process.
To solve this, we need to return to an era of citizen legislators. We need term limits.
Setting congressional term limits would end the need for career politicians, discourage gridlock, and get our government working again for ourselves and hard-working families across the country. By setting these limits, America would return to an area where we elect local leaders with proven success, who take their talents to Washington DC to further improve their community, and then come home once their work is done. Most importantly, congressional term limits would return power back to the voters, not special interests.
Micah Beckwith, Indiana Chair for U.S. Term Limits, highlights these and several other reasons in a recent article, wherein he explains why the time is right for states to act on enshrining congressional term limits on a constitutional basis, stating:
"Setting congressional term limits will be a step to ending the political circus that has polarized and divided our nation," said Micah Beckwith. "It will restore balance in our electoral process and return power to where it should reside - with the voters."
Not only is setting congressional term limits viable, it's one of the few issues that unifies voters across the political spectrum. According to a recent Ipsos survey, 79% of Americans support congressional term limits, with 87% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats surveyed agreeing as well. This comes on top of years of polling from Rasmussen and Gallup that reach similar conclusions.
Several state legislatures across the country have recognized this and are taking action. One such state is Tennessee, where Assembly Rep. Chris Todd recently drafted a resolution to Congress calling for a constitutional convention on this very issue. This comes after several states, including Alabama, Wisconsin, and Florida sending resolutions of their own.
While many issues remain contentious for the electorate, one thing is clear - setting congressional term limits continues to have lasting consensus. TBORA has been and remains committed to this issue - a bold solution towards fixing our dysfunctional government, returning power back to the voters, and unifying Americans in taking back our Republic.
For more on TBORA's efforts on term limits, please click here.