Back in 2009, Thompson, despite being outspent by NYC's billionaire-mayor Bloomberg, came surprisingly close to beating the turn-limit overturning incumbent; hence, Thompson is no stranger to the emotional turbulence of close elections.
There has been little momentum for presidential term limits to be overturned, though President Ronald Reagan did speak out against term limits.
The Supreme Court may not agree with McConnell that all contribution limits should be overturned now, but the justices could still accept his argument that contribution limits should be treated with the same level of scrutiny as restrictions on campaign spending.
After the Supreme Court misguidedly overturned limits on corporate spending, Senate Republicans blocked disclosure of corporate and union check writers.
And if the term limits law is overturned without taking it to the voters, it would only feed the cynicism that some people feel about the power of their vote, especially in the environment following the presidential election in Florida".
Justices Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas all dissented in the Grutter case, and simple math suggests that there may now be five votes to limit or overturn it.
In a case brought by Abigail Fisher, a white student denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin, the Supreme Court is considering whether to affirm, limit or overturn a 2003 ruling allowing public universities to consider race as one factor in an "holistic review".
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in 2006, attended the argument and listened attentively as her former colleagues debated whether to reaffirm, limit or overturn one of her legacies, her majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger, the 5-to-4 decision in 2003 that allowed public universities to take account of race as part of a "holistic review".
Indeed, if Merrick Garland is confirmed, there will for the first time since Citizens United be a majority on the Supreme Court prepared to limit or overturn that decision.
It remains possible the limit will be overturned at a later date, which could have a significant effect on future elections.
