Attachment: 4558/Web-NewsletterWinter2025COSA012025.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| —- | Page Metadata || |Login Required to view? |No | |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| |Credit Author: | |