Sophie Warren. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette

Scarborough Representative Sophie Warren is currently serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives. She recently signed the Term Limits Convention pledge, supporting term limits on Congress.

The Term Limits Convention pledge comes from U.S. Term Limits, a non-partisan movement that works to enact and defend state and congressional term limits. It was formed in the early-1990s.

In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton that only a Constitutional Amendment can limit the terms of U.S. Senators and House Representatives, instead of states individually creating limits for their members.

The organization launched the Terms Limit Convention in 2016. The initiative would allow power to go back to states to impose term limits through an Article V Proposal Convention of state legislatures.

“The Constitution allows for amendments to be proposed by either two/thirds of Congress or two/thirds of the states,” said Executive Director of USTL Nick Tomboulides. “While we’d like for Congress to take the high road and propose term limits on itself, our goal is to trigger the latter, a national convention specifically for a term limits amendment. That is why it is important to get buy-in from state legislators.”

The amendment would need to be ratified by 38 states after being proposed.

Warren is serving her second term representing her hometown Scarborough in the Maine House of Representatives. She sits on the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee. She graduated Brandeis University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations.

Warren is a member of the Scarborough Land Trust, Seeds for Peace and Dirigo Girls State. She has also worked in Sen. Angus King’s office in Washington and actively volunteers with the Scarborough Food Bank.

“Sophie’s strong support of term limits shows that there are individuals who are willing to listen to the majority of voters who want term limits,” said USTL President Philip Blumel. “America needs a Congress that will be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians.”

The U.S. Term Limits Pledge given to members and candidates of state legislatures reads, “I pledge that, as a member of the state legislature, I will cosponsor, vote for, and defend the resolution applying for an Article V convention for the limited purpose of enacting term limits on Congress.”