Democratic Governors Create Coalition to Push Back Against Trump Policies

(Left) Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024; (Right) Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks in Pueblo, Colo., on Nov. 29, 2023. Craig Barritt; Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

The governors of Illinois and Colorado, both Democrats, have announced the formation of a new alliance to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s policies, just weeks before he is set to assume office.

The alliance, named “Governors Safeguarding Democracy” (GSD), is being billed as a nonpartisan coalition of governors who will work together to prevent “authoritarianism” and the “undermining of democratic institutions,” including executive agencies, elections, and state courts, according to a Nov. 13 statement announcing the group.

Through the group, governors will leverage their “unique legislative, budgetary, executive, and administrative powers to deliver results for the American people,” the statement said.

The alliance will also develop “playbooks” to enable governors and their teams to “anticipate and swiftly respond to emerging threats,” according to the statement. The group did not specify what those threats were.

Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado launched the group and will act as co-chairs overseeing the coalition. The group will be supported by a network of senior staff designated by each governor.

Democrats currently govern 23 states while Republicans govern 27. Neither Polis nor Pritzker said how many governors have joined the coalition so far.

A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, Karoline Leavitt, said in response to the group’s formation that the president-elect “will serve all Americans, even those who did not vote for him in the election.”

“He will unify the country through success,” Leavitt said.

The coalition says it will be supported by the Governors Action Alliance (GovAct), a nonpartisan organization that will collaborate with think tanks, legal experts, and democracy advocates to tackle the “unique challenges facing American democracy today,” according to the statement.

According to its official website, GovAct is advised by a board that includes former Republican and Democratic governors from states such as Minnesota and Massachusetts, as well as a former deputy attorney general.

Specifics regarding how exactly the alliance would function were not provided.

In a statement, Pritzker said the alliance was formed amid a “critical moment in our history ... to protect the foundations of our democracy and ensure our institutions withstand threats and persevere in their mission to improve the lives of our people.”

Trump, who campaigned on proposals including deporting illegal immigrants and imposing tariffs, scored a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s election.

The alliance was unveiled as multiple leaders from the Democratic Party vowed to uphold various policies related to access to abortion, climate, diversity programs, and LGBT issues following the former president’s election win.

On Nov. 7, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to convene a special session later this year to address Trump policies, which he said threaten the state’s values.

According to a statement from Newsom’s office, the special session will respond to public statements and proposals put forward by Trump and his advisers, as well as actions taken during his previous time in office, which the statement described as “an agenda that could erode essential freedoms and individual rights, including women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.”

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13, 2024. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The special session will begin on Dec. 2, when the Legislature convenes.

Last week, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that his legal team had been preparing for months to respond to future Trump policies, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is working with her attorney general on how to “protect New Yorkers’ fundamental freedoms.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was Harris’s running mate in the recent presidential election, told supporters during a Nov. 8 speech in Eagan, Minnesota, that he would “stand ready to stand up and fight” if the incoming Trump administration brings a “hateful agenda” to the state.

Reuters contributed to this report.