Democratic governors are spearheading a new pro-democracy organization, “Governors Safeguarding Democracy,” to fight President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, according to The New York Times.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and Julia Spiegel, a former top legal adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, will serve as the organization’s top staff members.
It’s unclear how many additional governors will join and what precisely the organization will do, as it’s still being fleshed out. But it is clear that although the GOP controls each branch of the federal government, Democratic governors are not ready to go quietly into the night.
The organization will be made up of think tanks, legal experts, and democracy advocates. Through “governor-led efforts and the support of a network of senior staff,” the group will “foster cross-state collaboration, including the sharing of essential tools, knowledge, and resources,” the Times said.
In addition to coordinating resources and knowledge across state lines, GSD plans to work together on “elections and laws against encroachment from what they expect to be a hostile federal government, ” the Times reported.
Interestingly, governors from blue states aren’t the only ones interested in joining the resistance against Trump. Pritzker told The New York Times that he also had conversations with Republican governors about joining the organization, but did not identify specific individuals.
Trump has vowed in his campaign for president to enact mass deportation, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, curb environmental laws, and continue his attack on reproductive rights.
On Thursday, Newsom quickly started preparing for when Trump takes office on Jan. 20, by calling a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” one of the bluest and most-populated states in the country.
Washington Governor-elect and former Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s team has studied Trump’s campaign promises and Project 2025 and is ready to prepare lawsuits to block federal actions. Ferguson is familiar with fighting against the Trump administration—he filed nearly 100 lawsuits since Trump took office in 2016, and in 2017, led the charge in lawsuits against Trump’s Muslim travel ban.
With the federal government under Republican control, it’s clear that state leaders are preparing for an intense political battle the next four years, ensuring they need to work together across state—and perhaps party—lines to fight for their constituents.
