Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is taking his crusade against the Washington, D.C. establishment directly to the heartland of America.
And career politicians in the Swamp won’t be happy about it.
Ron DeSantis stunned Ohio lawmakers with one major announcement that left Swamp insiders terrified.
The Florida Governor joined Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman and State Representative Heidi Workman in Columbus on Tuesday to push for congressional term limits – a move that could fundamentally transform how Washington operates.
“If you had term limits, it could change the incentives,” DeSantis said during the joint press conference. “You know you have a limited amount of time, so make something of it.”
The Florida Governor didn’t mince words about the current state of Congress, taking aim at career politicians who have spent decades entrenched in Washington.
“Who do you think has been running it now? When they do these omnibus bills, do you think that’s something that all 435 of these House members are actively debating?” DeSantis asked rhetorically, highlighting how power often consolidates among those who’ve been in office the longest.
States unite to force Congress’s hand
DeSantis is backing Ohio’s House Joint Resolution 3, which calls for a constitutional convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, specifically focused on implementing term limits for members of Congress.
This approach bypasses Congress entirely, requiring two-thirds of states (34) to demand a convention where amendments can be proposed.Â
Any amendment would still need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38) to become law.
Florida is already on board, having passed House Concurrent Resolution 693 during the 2024 Legislative Session under the guidance of then-House Speaker Paul Renner.
“D.C. will never fix itself,” DeSantis stated in a release about his Ohio visit. “Term limits will change the incentives for members of Congress from focusing on reelection to focusing on tangible accomplishments.”
So far, twelve states have passed similar resolutions: Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Strong bipartisan support among voters
While insiders may dread the idea of term limits, the concept enjoys overwhelming support from the American people across the political spectrum.
According to a 2023 survey by Pew Research Center, a staggering 87% of Americans back congressional term limits.Â
Another January 2025 survey from RMG Research found that 78% of Ohioans specifically favor limiting how long politicians can remain in Congress.
Heidi Workman emphasized this point during the press conference by saying that “voters are tired of Washington politicians spending decades in office disconnected from the people they are elected to serve.”
Strategic approach to changing Washington
DeSantis believes that building momentum across states could pressure Congress to act before all 34 states call for a convention.
“If we get a dozen states to come on board pretty quickly, that momentum is there, and you get into the mid-20s and then all of a sudden Congress is going to notice,” DeSantis explained. “It would be easier if Congress just wrote it and passed it because they could do two-thirds, and immediately that goes to the states.”
Speaker Huffman, who joined DeSantis at the press conference, defended term limits by noting the difference between state and federal representatives.
“The farther away the government is from the people, the more important term limits are,” Huffman said. “In Columbus, we see a lot of people. Most of us, just about everybody, goes home. We see our constituents on a regular basis.”
Critics raise concerns
University of Cincinnati Political Science Professor David Niven pointed out potential complications with the constitutional convention approach.
“States can call for a constitutional convention for a particular purpose, but there’s no guarantee that’s what the convention focuses on or even brings up, for that matter,” Niven said, raising the specter of a “runaway convention” that could propose unexpected changes.
DeSantis dismissed these concerns by saying that “I don’t think 38 states are going to ratify the work of a quote, runaway convention.”
The push for congressional term limits represents one of the most significant efforts to restructure how Washington operates in decades.Â
If successful, it would fundamentally alter the incentives for elected officials and potentially break the cycle of career politicians who seem more focused on reelection than representation.
For the amendment to succeed, Ohio would need to join the growing coalition of states calling for this constitutional change, with House Joint Resolution 3 still needing to clear both chambers of the state legislature with a 60% vote.