Govs. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill. and Jared Polis, D-Colo., have formed a coalition of fellow state-level executives to resist “increasing threats of autocracy” and potential power grabs by a second Donald Trump administration. Members of the new “Governors Safeguarding Democracy” will harness their collective powers to “catalyze collaboration across state lines,” Pritzker said in a call with journalists reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
“It’s built off a model that all of us governors have already successfully pioneered through the Reproductive Freedom Alliance,” he said. “And together, what we’re doing is pushing back against increasing threats of autocracy and fortifying the institutions of democracy that our country and our states depend on.”
Pritzker, Polis and others like Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., have struck a defiant tone since Trump was elected president, promising to use all legal means at their disposal to protect their states against federal policies they deem harmful and unconstitutional. Last year, Pritzker formed Think Big America, a nonprofit aimed at passing abortion rights ballot initiatives.
GSD, the most encompassing iteration of state-level pushback against GOP rule in Washington, is supposed to be nonpartisan, but Pritzker and Polis did not mention any GOP participants in the press call. Despite the obvious shadow of Trump, his name was not mentioned, either.
“There’s been outreach to Republican governors,” Pritzker said. “Good conversations, I might add, and there is continued interest by lots of governors. But I’m not going to name the ones that we’ve talked to.”
Asked about a list of participating governors, Pritzker said that some do not want to be named publicly.
According to Pritzker and Polis, GSD participants will discuss a range of options, including safeguarding state-level environmental protection; defending their election systems from threats both foreign and domestic; and shielding immigrants from mass deportation. Pritzker said that they would form a response to proposals like Trump advisor Stephen Miller’s proposal to send red state National Guard units to blue states to assist in the deportations.
The group, which is being funded by philanthropic efforts, is working with think tanks, legal experts, democracy and open government advocates to create plans that will “truly protect the rule of law,” Polis added.
“We founded GSD because we know that simple hope alone won’t save our democracy,” Polis said. “We need to work together, especially at the state level, to protect and strengthen it.”
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