In a major victory for the U.S. Constitution, the Republican Party of Iowa adopted a plank in its platform opposing an Article V convention, or Con-Con, to change the Constitution.
Although not guaranteeing the defeat or rescission of Con-Con applications, the plank’s addition to the official party platform illustrates the increasing awareness among state legislators and the broader electorate about the dangers of a Con-Con.
The plank, adopted at the Iowa GOP State Convention on June 11, states:
We believe the United States Constitution, when properly obeyed and enforced, is an effective and timeless guiding instrument for the governing of our nation. Therefore, in view of the dire warnings from James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, four US Supreme Court Justices, and other eminent Jurists and scholars, we are opposed to the proposals of organizations such as “Convention of States” to ask Congress to call an Article V Convention.
This was not the only pro-Constitution modification of the party platform. In the previous 2020 platform, the Iowa GOP announced that “we advocate a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” (Currently, a so-called BBA is the focus of Con-Con applications in 26 states.) However, in the newly adopted platform, it declared that “we advocate limiting federal expenditures to those enumerated powers under the United States Constitution.”
Not only did the party announce its opposition to a Con-Con — a false solution to limiting the federal government — but it declared its support for enforcing the Constitution’s existing provisions to rein in government. Another newly-added plank states:
We support elected officials applying the 10th Amendment to limit the overreach of the federal government.
Convention of States (COS) Action, one of the largest pro-Con-Con organizations, had heavily lobbied Iowa legislators to pass its favored application for an Article V convention. But not only did the Iowa GOP effectively repudiate its efforts, but the General Assembly did not act on any Con-Con resolutions this year.
Members of The John Birch Society, along with other patriots, have worked to educate Americans about the dangers of a Con-Con and why nullification is “the rightful remedy” to federal overreach. As the Iowa GOP’s platform illustrates, those efforts are paying off.
Con-Con Opponents Win in South Dakota
Recent success against the push for a Con-Con is not confined to Iowa. In neighboring South Dakota, Con-Con advocates attempted — mostly without success — to unseat conservative state legislators opposed to a Con-Con.
Heading into the state’s June 7 primary elections, COS spent over $338,000 — in a state of about 886,000 people. The bulk of this spending targeted incumbent state senators Lee Schoenbeck (R-Watertown), Mary Duvall (R-Pierre), and David Johnson (R-Rapid City), along with representative Tim Reed (R-Brookings), who is running for state Senate. COS also targeted Senator Michael Rohl (R-Aberdeen).
Ultimately, four of these five candidates easily won their primaries. Only Senator Duvall lost — narrowly — to her challenger.
These pro-Constitution victories come on top of similar electoral victories in Kentucky, along with the recent defeat of a COS application in Ohio. If Americans continue to be educated about the Constitution and the principles of liberty, those victories will continue.
To urge your state legislators to oppose resolutions applying for an Article V Con-Con, visit The John Birch Society’s legislative alert here.
