Open the States is a website associated with Convention of States, also known as Convention of States Action,[1][2][3] an "ad-hoc coalition" of individuals who want government to end some or all of the restrictions on economic activity and public life that were imposed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[4] Convention of States Action's parent organization is Citizens for Self-Governance.[4] According to Politico, "The Convention of States' efforts are among several national conservative groups, such as FreedomWorks, that have helped organize anti-lockdown protests across the country."[2]Center for Media and Democracy said Citizens for Self-Governance "does business as the Convention of States Foundation (COSF)";[1]Boston University's BU Today stated "Convention of States created a sock puppet organization called Open the States to hide their role in the campaign".[5]
^ ab
Alex Kotch (April 22, 2020), Groups Aligned with Right-Wing Megadonors Are Promoting Coronavirus Protests, Center for Media and Democracy, Convention of States Action (COSA) is a project of the right-wing nonprofit, Citizens for Self-Governance, and has a web page devoted to its new initiative, "Open the States".
^Conley, Julia (September 19, 2022). "Warnings Mount Over Right-Wing Plot to Rewrite US Constitution". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022. The Convention of States Project has received millions of dollars from the right-wing Donors Capital Fund and has been endorsed by Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and influential conservative commentators Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro.
^Adeoye, Rotimi (August 24, 2022). "Democrats Need to Win State Elections to Stop Republicans From Rewriting the Constitution". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022. This plan, spearheaded by the group Convention of States Action (COS), has received millions from the Donors Capital Fund, as well as from numerous other high-profile Republican donors. COS is led by Mark Meckler, the interim president of the conservative-friendly social media site Parler, and Eric O'Keefe—a longtime right-wing political operative. COS also has the support of high-profile conservatives and Republicans such as Sean Hannity, Ben Shapiro, Mark Meadows, and Ben Carson. It's even endorsed by prominent GOP elected officials, including Govs. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, as well as Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.
^Panetta, Grace; Griffiths, Brent D. (July 31, 2022). "Republicans' next big play is to 'scare the hell out of Washington' by rewriting the Constitution. And they're willing to play the long game to win". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022. Citizens for Self Governance and Convention of States, led by former Tea Party activist and ex-Parler CEO Mark Meckler, are relatively newer and well-funded players on the scene with connections to wealthy and powerful conservative interests. Tax filings obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy reveal the groups, which are not required to disclose their donors, have received millions from the Koch-connected DonorsTrust, the Mercer family, and groups linked to powerful conservative lawyer Leonard Leo. A 2020 internal audit of Convention of States obtained by the group revealed that a $1.3 million donation made in Bitcoin made up 16% of the group's budget in 2019. Two donations totaling $2.5 million accounted for 36% of the group's 2020 budget.
.svg){kind=small}
