In a victory for constitutionalists, three Republican state House committee chairmen in Kentucky — all supporters of Convention of States (COS) — lost their primary races last week.
The three representatives were Adam Koenig, chairman of the House Licensing and Occupations committee; Ed Massey, chairman of the House Judiciary committee; and Sal Santoro, chairman of the House Transportation Budget committee.
Rep. Koenig was defeated 46 percent to 54 percent by Steven Doan, who was endorsed by U.S. Representative Thomas Massie. Massie, arguably the most constitutionalist congressman, has a 99% Freedom Index score.
Rep. Massey received 31 percent of the vote to his challenger’s 69 percent, while Rep. Santoro lost 48 percent to 52 percent.
Meanwhile, other constitutionalists won their primaries. In Kentucky’s House District 36, John Hodgson won the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Jerry Miller, who is retiring. In House District 91, incumbent Bill Wesley easily defeated a challenger. Both Hodgson and Wesley had been endorsed by Rep. Massie.
Convention of States
Defeated reps. Koenig, Massey, and Santoro had been seen as close to Convention of States, one of the primary organizations pushing for an Article V constitutional convention (Con-Con) to change the U.S. Constitution.
COS portrays the Con-Con as a method to limit an out-of-control federal government. However, as The New American has previously reported, it poses a serious threat to the Constitution and the God-given liberties it protects.
COS’s record is far from spotless. For example, its president, Mark Meckler, previously teamed up with left-wing professor Lawrence Lessig in favor of a Con-Con. Also, one of the organization’s board members, Robert P. George, co-authored a revised constitution that would eliminate Second Amendment protections.
Despite supporting a dangerous Article V convention, COS has publicly opposed nullification under Article VI of the Constitution. Nullification — grounded directly in the Constitution and advocated by multiple Founding Fathers — focuses on enforcing, not changing, the Constitution. Specifically, it involves state and local governments refusing to enforce blatantly unconstitutional federal actions, and it is significantly more effective and less risky than a Con-Con.
State Senate Candidate Denounces COS
COS’s recent setbacks were not confined to Kentucky. In South Dakota, sitting state representative and state Senate candidate Mark Willadsen recently denounced COS for its false attacks against other candidates.
In a letter dated May 16, Willadsen stated he had “heard several radio advertisements,” paid for by COS, that “are full of half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies about Candidates you oppose.”
Willadsen, who noted he had consistently “voted for COS legislation” in the past, announced that “You should not expect that to continue because of your actions.” Accordingly, he returned a $1,000 check COS had previously donated to him.
COS had hinted it would seek to primary anti-Con-Con legislators in South Dakota. In a February 10, 2022 email blast with the subject line “Cowards. Disgusting cowards.,” Meckler denounced those legislators who voted against the COS resolution and stated that “Candidates have already started lining up to run against” them.
If Willadsen’s letter is any indication, COS’s efforts are backfiring. And if voters and legislators continue to be educated about the Constitution and the principles of liberty, those efforts will continue to backfire.
