The announcement follows vows by some Democratic Party leaders to uphold policies related to access to abortion, climate, diversity programs, and LGBT issues.
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.
