Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) is backing a new push to amend the Constitution to establish term limits for members of the House and Senate.

If passed, the amendment would limit House members to three terms, and senators to two terms.

Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina proposed the measure, filed in the House on Monday. Golden was one of 28 co-sponsors.  

“The framers never intended for Congress to be a decades-long career accessible only to the elite,” Golden said in a statement Wednesday. “There’s absolutely more than one person in each congressional district that could do this job, and establishing term limits would make sure those fresh perspectives are heard and that Americans are properly represented.”

House members serve two-year terms, and senators serve six-year terms. 

Maine’s other House member, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D), said in a statement that she did not believe the amendment was necessary.

“We have term limits; they are called elections,” she stated. “I’m proud of my service to the people of Maine and every two years they get to decide if I have done a good enough job to be reelected for another term. It takes time to understand how the process works in Washington, or Augusta for that matter. And the reality is that Congress is run on seniority. I serve in a leadership role on the House Appropriations Committee, which is possible because of that seniority.” 

Golden announced yesterday that he was also introducing a bill, together with Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Washington), to create “a bipartisan select committee” to analyze and present suggestions for electoral reform.

In a joint statement yesterday with Perez, Golden said the committee’s goal was to “reduce political polarization and strengthen our democracy.”