Convention of States’ mission is to secure ratification of amendments pertaining to three subjects: federal fiscal restraints, term limits for members of Congress and federal officials, and limits on federal power. As of today, twenty of the required 34 states have adopted identical three-subject COS resolutions. Of the eight active amending organizations, Convention of States (COS) holds an unambiguous lead in its grass roots volunteer network active at the state legislative level. I rate COS and American Promise tops in funding and COS near AP’s lead in strategic depth and soundness. Both COS and AP have affiliated c3 and c4 arms.
Unique among amending orgs and as of the 2026 election cycle, COS is now a player in primary elections, endorsing and supporting proponents and defeating opponents. In 38 targeted primary races I can identify in Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota, COS won 29, a 76% success rate. COS claims a 34/43 or a near 80%-win rate, but I am not privy to all their data. In Montana and Idaho where John Birch Society anti-Article V influence is strong, COS boasts an 8-0-win rate.
The Birchers are particularly corrosive in promoting the notion that contemporary Americans are “largely ignorant” and that it is “reckless in the extreme” to trust state legislators to propose amendments. The effect of Bircher civic gloom is for some states to forfeit their Article V power and to grant our remote, unresponsive, and self-interested Congress exclusive control over amending.
COS target state private summit, August 27-30
COS has identified, Idaho, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming as top prospects to adopt its next four Article V resolutions. To that end, legislators and activists from those states and from across the nation have been invited to participate in this COS private summit.
COS needs purple state wins
Recent decisions by the Supreme Court along with actions by the Trump Administration have made left-leaning voters far more suspicious of concentrated federal and Executive Branch power. This may explain rising cross-partisan support for federalism and for the rebalancing of power back to the states.
Given its exclusively red-state progress to date, COS must now leverage this growing support for federalism to make gains in the purple states. COS’ June, 2026 Michigan voter survey shows this to be feasible.
“Would you be willing to vote for a candidate of a different party who supports holding a convention to propose amendments that would stop abuses of power by the federal government?” Yes 62%; No 16%; Unsure 22%
Support for the COS 3-subject convention: Yes 79%; No 12%; Unsure 9%
Consistent with Pew polling showing greater confidence in state over Washington government, “Do you prefer that the policies that govern you be made in Washington, D.C., or in Michigan?” Michigan 57%; Washington, D.C. 9%; Both 19%
Inside Amending posting frequency
Since launch in February, I’ve posted approximately once each week. To avoid wasting your time, my schedule will now be approximately weekly and only when I can offer substantial news or information. Do feel free to forward me news, insight, or corrections you’d like to share. Thank you for reading.
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