COSA 2024 Winter Newsletter

Attachment: 4558/Web-NewsletterWinter2025_COSA012025.pdf

The Convention Courier

A newsletter from

CONVENTION

of

STATES

ACTION

•  States Ready Themselves

for the Convention

•  COS Endorsers &

Supporters Blanket

Capitol Hill

•  The Plan to Secure

Liberty Forevermore

Offering the Permanent Solution!

Inside

COS Endorser

Vivek Ramaswamy

COS Endorser

Mike Huckabee

COS Endorser

Pete Hegseth

COS Supporter

JD Vance

COS Endorser

Karoline Leavitt

COS Endorser

Marco Rubio

COS Supporter

Mike Johnson

COS Endorser

Hon. Brooke Rollins

2025

PERMANENT

STRUCTURAL

CHANGE TO SAVE

THE REPUBLIC

2

As the excitement of the election settles, we have a chance to reflect on the last eight years. We have
learned we cannot let the pendulum swing back to tyranny. We must protect the progress made, prevent
economic collapse, enforce term limits, curb federal spending, stop election cheating, and secure our
borders.

This time we will enshrine limited government in the U.S. Constitution to ensure liberty for

future generations.

The 2024 nationwide election confirmed that Americans want to preserve the Constitutional Republic in
which we have been blessed to live. This clarion call for liberty bodes well for Convention of States. We are
grateful to our supporters that we have been able to

build the foundation

to seize this unique opportunity

as events align with COS’s mission of self-governance.

We are positioned like never before

with millions of supporters and activists strategically located in 100%

of state legislative and congressional districts. We only need 15 more states to secure the 34 constitutionally
required states to call a convention to propose amendments.

But what we learned from the previous administration is that all the good policies that President Trump put
in place can be (and were) reversed in short order during the subsequent administration. We cannot let this
reversal happen again.

The strong foundation we built is now complemented with a small government, constitutional mindset at a
national level. As we head into 2025, we see that President Trump encircled himself with COS supporters/
endorsers as reflected in his picks for key positions such as Vice President-Elect JD Vance, Sen. Marco
Rubio/Secretary of State nominee, Gov. Mike Huckabee/Ambassador to Israel nominee, Vivek Ramaswamy/
Dept. of Government Efficiency nominee, and many others.

This alignment of state and national leadership focused on returning power to the states is unique. COS
champions at the state level such as former Louisiana lawmaker Mike Johnson, and New Hampshire
lawmaker Karoline Leavitte are now elevated to national positions, while our COS grassroots have run for
state offices and won! States are preparing for an inevitable convention with commissioner limitations bills.
COS grassroots tirelessly recruit and train new volunteers to have them secure state lawmakers’ support for
the COS Resolution. COS continues to educate both lawmakers and COS leaders about the Article V process
through simulated conventions.

“We the People”

and

“consent of the governed”

have taken on new meaning, and Americans once again

know that we are responsible for our own liberty. We must ensconce, where appropriate, the good policies of
the incoming administration into the Constitution as a permanent barrier between the federal government
and the American people.

It is more important than ever that we call a convention of the states to restore the liberties stripped from
us over decades of government overreach. With the unique alignment of support that currently exists for
Convention of States,

NOW

is the time to call a convention.

For America,

Mark Meckler President of COS; Michael Farris,
Senior Advisor; Rick Santorum, Senior Advisor.

3

WA

OR

CA

AK

TX

OK

KS

NE

SD

ND

MN

IA

LA

MS

AR

AL

GA

FL

MO

TN

IN

IL

MI

OH

KY

VA

PA

NY

VT

NH

MA

RI

ME

WV

NC

SC

WI

AZ

HI

UT

WY

CO

NM

ID

MT

NV

CT

NJ

DE

MD

STATES READY THEMSELVES FOR

THE CONVENTION

As momentum builds for a convention

of the states, states are preparing for

the inevitable convention to be called.

As of 2024, 31 states have either

passed or are in the process of passing

legislation to select and manage

Commissioners who will represent

their states at the convention.

These laws outline the selection process

and establish oversight mechanisms,

including criminal penalties for any

commissioner who violates the duties of

the commission. This legislative activity

reflects a growing national belief that a

convention is imminent.

State legislatures are not investing time

and resources into these efforts unless

they see a convention as necessary

and inevitable in the near future. Many

state legislative leaders plan to pass

Commissioner Selection/Limitation

legislation first, followed by the

Convention of States (COS) Resolution.

In an effort to support legislators, address

this need, and expedite the calling

for a convention, COS has drafted

model legislation for Commissioner

selection and oversight, which grassroots

activists will advocate for in 2025.

The model legislation also includes

provisions for criminal penalties for

commissioners who act outside their

scope of their authority and for any

person who interferes with commissioners

performing their official duties.

Important to note is that each state can

appoint as many Commissioners as it

chooses; however, each state is limited

to one vote per amendment proposal

at the convention. Recognizing the

critical need for training in drafting,

proposing, debating, and deliberating

amendment proposals, our sister

organization COS Foundation will

COMMISSIONER SELECTION/

LIMITATION BILLS

Passed

Active

continue to train state legislators

to serve as Commissioners

(already having held two

simulated conventions for

legislators) and to offer simulated

conventions (Grassroots Article

V Experiences) to train Citizen

Commissioners.

Maryland Rally

Connecticut Rally

Cover:

Images of Karoline Leavitt & Gov. Mike Huckabee are composite images from Gage Skidmore. Other images are used under the Public Domain. Composite or

by permission. Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Honorable Brooke Rollins, America First Policy Institute Press Image, Digital Composite.

Visit our website for more information at ConventionofStates.com

4

“

“

Images of Karoline Leavitt, and Mike Huckabee are images from Gage Skidmore. Other images are used under the Public Domain, or by permission. Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Honorable Brooke Rollins, America First Policy Institute Press Image.

Visit our website for more information on our supporters and endorsers at

ConventionofStates.com/endorsers

[T]oday we are not merely

transferring power from

one Administration to

another, or from one party

to another –

but

we are

transferring power

from Washington,

D.C. and giving it

back to you, the

American People.

—

President Trump’s Inaugural Address,

January 20, 2017

J.D. Vance

Vice President-Elect

Vice President-Elect JD Vance supports returning

power to the states as evidenced by his strong limited

government responses when he completed the COS candidate
survey presented to him by the Ohio COS grassroots team. He
answered “yes” when asked if he supported COS and would
vote for the COS application for an Article V convention and
if he believed it was appropriate for state legislatures to use
their constitutional authority to propose amendments through
a state-led convention.

COS

Supporter

Mike Johnson

House Speaker

House Speaker Mike Johnson strongly

advocated for the Convention of States as a

Louisiana State Representative and now in the U.S.
House of Representatives. After studying the issue as
a state lawmaker, he concluded, “I now believe that
this is the only measure that we have to limit the
expansive growth and increasing encroachment of the
federal government.” U.S. Rep. Johnson held the first
Congressional hearing on Article V on Capitol Hill.

COS

Supporter

Karoline Leavitt

Press Secretary Nominee

Karoline Leavitt knows first hand that our

federal government is out of control. As the White

House Assistant Press Secretary for President Trump

during his first term, Karoline saw how Washington

worked. As soon as she became constitutionally

eligible to serve in 2022, she was elected as the U.S.

Representative from New Hampshire. Karoline said,

“Convention of States aligns with the principles that I

believe, a government for the people by the people.”

COS

Endorser

Vivek Ramaswamy

Dept. of Gov’t Efficiency Nominee

A fortuitous meeting in the Iowa legislature

connected Vivek Ramanswamy with COS Senior

Advisors Michael Farris and Rick Santorum where he was

eager to learn more about the COS constitutional solution
to the issues the nation faces. Noting that Article V is in
the Constitution for a reason, he remarked, “The framers
of the Constitution had great forethought for periods

just like this one.”

COS

Endorser

5

Marco Rubio

Secretary of State Nominee

As a longtime COS supporter, Senator Rubio said

he puts his trust “in the people, not Washington,

in the critical effort to restore constitutional, limited
government. The Convention of States Project is a genuine
grassroots movement to achieve that goal, and one that I
am proud to be a part of.” Sen. Marco Rubio watched crowds

cheer as he proclaimed his support for Convention of States
during his run for President in 2020, and he quickly realized
that the response to COS was overwhelmingly positive
everywhere he traveled on the campaign trail.

COS Endorser

Major Pete Hegseth

Secretary of Defense Nominee

When Pete Hegseth took his oath to support,

protect, and defend the Constitution, he took

that oath for life and not just during his honorable
military service. After contacting COS to learn more,
he became and remains a strong supporter, recently
saying, “The Convention of States Project is the
only constitutional pathway for citizens to save our
Republic by restoring it to her citizens.”

COS

Endorser

Honorable Brooke Rollins

Secretary of Agriculture Nominee

Brooke Rollins, former President of the Texas

Public Policy Foundation and CEO of the America

First Policy Institute, was an early Convention of States
supporter. She later served multiple roles in the Trump
administration, including acting Director of Domestic
Policy. “The American people are mad and they’re

looking for a way to say, ‘No more,’” said Rollins. “Our
founders, in their brilliance, gave us a tool to do that.

And it’s Article V.”

COS

Endorser

Gov. Mike Huckabee

Ambassador to Israel Nominee

For years, Gov. Mike Huckabee has recognized the

critical importance of calling an amendments-proposing

convention pursuant to the COS Resolution as a means to restrain

the federal government, including the prospect of further limiting
D.C.’s attempts to quash religious liberty. He said, “Washington
is in gridlock. If we ever want things like a balanced budget
amendment or term limits—both of which I really believe would
help this country—we’ll never get it out of Congress.” Urging

citizens to join him in supporting COS, Gov. Huckabee said, “I have

reviewed their plan and it is both innovative and realistic.”

COS

Endorser

In Addition to the Vice President-Elect and the Speaker of the

U.S. House, the Trump Administration is Filled with COS

Champions, Endorsers, and Supporters.

Now is the time to call the convention and make Trump’s inaugural promise permanent.

6

COSA attended the National

Conference of State Legislators, a

unique chance to meet lawmakers from

across the nation in one location. The

COS team manned the booth where

they spoke with legislators. Our COS

experts, President Mark Meckler,

Sen. Rick Santorum, and COS Co-

Founder Michael Farris presented COS

during our sponsored Learning Hub.

Importantly, our experts held private

meetings with lawmakers from key states

such as Ohio, Iowa, Montana, Idaho, and

Wyoming.

The unifying message of COS was

illustrated by our polling data from

Pennsylvania and Ohio, showing that

more than 2/3 of voters would cross

party lines to vote for a candidate who

supports COS. This polling was a strong

draw for state legislators in an election

year. We later secured a national

poll, reflecting that

68% of voters

support COS and

59% trust their state

lawmakers while only

8% trust Congress.

This great exposure for COS, along

with the strong confluence of events

in 2024, could be enough to tip the

scales to secure the 15 additional states

to reach the 34-state threshold to call a

convention.

National Conference of

State Legislatures

*

82%

OF

REPUBLICANS

,

69%

OF

DEMOCRATS

,

AND

77%

OF

INDEPENDENTS

SUPPORT IT.

Highlights &

Review

COMMISSIONER EDUCATION

Just as state legislatures are readying themselves for the convention,

We the People also must prepare ourselves.

We must educate every liberty-

minded American about this constitutional solution to save the Republic. Our sister organization, Convention of States Foundation

(COSF), has already started by hosting two simulated conventions for legislators in Colonial Williamsburg, educating over 400

representatives from across the nation. In 2024, COSF also held a

Grassroots Article V Experience for dedicated grassroots

leaders in order to prepare COS citizens to participate as commissioners in a convention of the states.

North Carolina Rally at Capitol

Pennsylvania Surge at Capitol

Texas Team Leadership Summit

New Jersey State Meeting

7

While most of the country focused

on the national elections,

COS kept

all eyes fixed on the state legislatures.

Not only do they retain the bulk

of policymaking authority under

our Constitution, state legislatures

alone can bring about an Article V

amendment-proposing convention to

provide the structural reform that is so

desperately needed at the federal level.

During the primary season, our

grassroots army collected COS

candidate surveys to assess where

candidates stood on reining in the

federal overreach. With most states

being redistricted after the 2020

census, incumbents with once “secure

seats” faced new challengers within

the redrawn lines. The goal of the

candidate surveys was to inform voters

about all candidates regardless of party

affiliation, and for voters to learn if a

candidate would take a stand for COS.

As election day drew closer, our

grassroots activists engaged in non-

partisan get out the vote efforts to

urge everyone to vote their values.

COS block walking, door knocking,

telephone banking, and text messaging

to get out the vote of like-minded, low

propensity voters.

More than 50 pro-

COS legislators won seats with several

states still pending results. Also, states

like MI had a sea change of partisan

control in the House from Democrat

control to Republican control.

Nationwide polling conducted by

Susquehanna Polling and Research Inc.

(SP&R) demonstrates significant and

broad-based support for term limits on

Congress and a meeting of the states

to propose amendments that would

limit federal power and rein in reckless

spending.

SP&R is a nationally-recognized

polling and focus group company

that has been featured on several

national outlets and was rated by

realclearpolitics.com as the most

accurate pollster for its multi-state

battleground polling prior to the 2020

U.S. presidential election.

Grassroots Focus

on State Legislatures

Nationwide Polling

69%

of

Republicans

,

70%

of

Democrats

,

and

77%

of

Independents

state they would

cross party lines to support a candidate who

backs

COS!

Bipartisan Consensus:

82% of

Republicans,

69% of Democrats, and

77% of Independents rallying behind the

Convention of States initiative.

* Report on COSA Participation in National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Summit—2024

Polling by Susquehanna Polling and Research, Inc
Learn more about this at: https://conventionofstates.com/groundbreaking-new-information-about-the-nationwide-appeal-of-convention-of-states

USA National Public Opinion Survey • Susquehanna Polling and Research, Inc. • Conducted September 23 – October 1, 2024

Other

Other

OHIOANS

OVERWHELMINGLY

SUPPORT COS

PENNSYLVANIA

VOTERS SUPPORT COS

Back a meeting of the states to propose
amendments for fiscal responsibility, limits
on  federal power, and term limits.

Trust state legislators more than Congress

Believe additional limits on federal
power are needed

Support term limits for career politicians

68%

59%

71%

88%

Voter Registration Breakdown:

Democrat: 38%

Republican: 37%

Independent: 18%

Unaffiliated/No Answer: 7%

Republican

Democrats

Ind/Unaffiliated

Republican

Democrats

Ind/Unaffiliated

8

Convention of States Foundation*

5850 San Felipe, Suite 575

Houston, TX 77057

(540) 441-7227

ConventionofStates.org

Convention of States Action

5850 San Felipe, Suite 580

Houston, TX 77057

Convention of States Action

5850 San Felipe, Suite 580

Houston, TX 77057

(540) 441-7227

ConventionofStates.com

*Tax deductible 501c(3)

Legislative makeup and Convention of States Legislative Victories

Passed COS

Resolution (

19

States)

Passed Legislative

Chamber (

26

States)

Passed Committee

Hearing (

33

States)

REPUBLICATION
CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE

DEMOCRATIC CONTROLLED
LEGISLATURE

DIVIDED CHAMBER
LEGISLATURE

Filed COS

Resolution (

49

States)

AK, AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA,

IN, LA, MO, MS, ND,

NE, OK, TN, TX, UT,

WI, WV, SC

AL, AK, AR, AZ, FL, GA,

IA, LA, MS, NE, NH, NC,

ND, NM, TN, VA, SD, IN,

UT, OK, MO, TX, SC, WI,

WV,  WY

AL, AK, AZ, AR, FL, GA,

HI,  ID IN, IA, KS, LA, MA,

MI,  MS, MO, MT, NE, NH,

NM, NC, ND, OK, PA,

SC, SD,  TN, TX, UT, VA,

WV, WI,  WY

AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO,

DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN,

IA, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD,

ME, MI, MN, MS, MO,

MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM,

NY, NC, ND, OH, OK,

OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN,

TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI,

WV, WY

More than 5 Million COS supporters agree. Now we need your help to build on the momentum of America’s largest

grassroots army. This is the most ideal time to recruit, train and mobilize even more activists in every state legislative district

to pressure their legislators to pass the COS Resolution.

Updated 10/07/2024

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Created:	2025-01-10 20:57 GMT
Updated:	2025-01-10 20:58 GMT
Published:	2025-01-10 08:00 GMT
Converted:	2025-11-11 12:34 GMT
Change Author:	Convention Of States Action
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