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Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD)

Website:

govsfordemocracy.org/
Project of:

Governors Action Alliance (GovAct)
Formation:

2024
Co-Heads:

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO)

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Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD) is an organization formed after the 2024 second election of President Donald Trump that seeks to coordinate Democratic governors’ efforts to oppose the policies of the second Trump administration. 1

Co-chaired by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) 2 and modeled after the pro-abortion Reproductive Freedom Alliance created by California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), 3 GSD plans to oppose the anticipated second Trump administration’s policies on immigration, education, and abortion. 4 5

GSD is supported by the Governors’ Action Alliance (GovAct), a fiscally sponsored project of Global Impact. 6 7 In September 2024, left-of-center philanthropist and left-wing political funder Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund contributed $500,000 to GovAct to support “coordinating and strengthening the work of governors to address specific threats to American democracy” with a focus on “state and local accountability,” two of GSD’s key objectives. 8 9

History and Leadership

Governors Safeguarding Democracy was founded in November 2024 following the second election of President Donald Trump. GSD’s co-chairs are Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D). 2

Julia Spiegel is the leader of GSD. She is the founder and CEO of Governors Action Alliance (GovAct). Previously, she worked as the senior advisor on reproductive rights for California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). While working for Newsom, Spiegel helped form the pro-abortion Reproductive Freedom Alliance following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. During the Obama administration, she worked as a policy advisor at the United States Mission to the United Nations. 1 10 11

Activities and Funding

Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD) is an organization formed following the second election of President Donald Trump that seeks to coordinate Democratic governors’ efforts to oppose the policies of the second Trump administration. 1

GSD’s structure is modeled after the pro-abortion Reproductive Freedom Alliance, 3 a group of 23 Democratic governors funded by Pierre Omidyar 8 and organized by California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). 1 GSD has goals similar to the National Governors Association. 1

According to co-chairs Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D), the organization’s central aim is to “fortify democratic institutions in the states.” 1 On “PBS Newshour,” Gov. Pritzker said that the organization was “safeguarding” the states from what he considers to be an onslaught from the federal government. 5 In an interview on MSNBC, Pritzker said that GSD is preparing for various actions, including opposing prayer in public schools and working to protect abortion access. Both Govs. Pritzker and Polis said they planned to “equip states” to oppose local law enforcement cooperation with federal authorities conducting immigration-enforcement raids. 4 5

GSD collaborates with think tanks, legal experts, and “democracy advocates” to advance its policy objectives. 7 1 The group plans to “support a network of senior staff designated by each governor” to foster cross-state coordination, share tools, knowledge, and resources to oppose the second Trump administration. 2 The group will use its network to push back against what it considers to be “threats of autocracy” and work to protect and strengthen democracy; 1 leverage the collective strength of its members; reinforce key state institutions to protect elections, state agencies, and courts; and develop playbooks to anticipate and react to what the group may consider to be emerging threats. 7

Membership

Governors Safeguarding Democracy is co-chaired by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D). 2 At the time of GSD’s launch, other members of the coalition had not been announced publicly. 12

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is not a founding member of GSD. 13 In November 2024, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) said that she was not joining GSD. 14

A statement from Govs. Pritzker and Polis described GSD as a nonpartisan coalition. Polis has said that some former Republican governors are on GSD’s advisory board, but no current Republican governors are members of GSD. 15

Funding

Governors Safeguarding Democracy is privately funded through individual contributions and grants. 16 GSD is supported directly by Governors Action Alliance (GovAct), which is a fiscally sponsored project of left-of-center organization Global Impact. 6 7

In September 2024, left-of-center philanthropist and left-wing political funder Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund contributed $500,000 to GovAct to support “coordinating and strengthening the work of governors to address specific threats to American democracy.” These funds are being disbursed to GovAct until August 2025 and focus on “state and local accountability,” two of GSD’s main objectives. 8 9

References

  1. Epstein, Reid J. “Democratic Governors Form a Group to Oppose the Trump Administration.” New York Times. November 13, 2024. Accessed via Web Archive November 19, 2024. https://archive.ph/Vvfad#selection-951.0-955.42.
  2. “About the Alliance.” Governors Safeguarding Democracy. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://govsfordemocracy.org/about-us/.
  3. Gambino, Lauren. “Democratic governors launch new organization to fight Trump overreach.” The Guardian. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/nov/13/donald-trump-joe-biden-elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-us-politics-live?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6734bd3f8f08f59ebd1d2177#block-6734bd3f8f08f59ebd1d2177.
  4. “New alliance of governors works to safeguard democracy in wake of Trump re-election.” MSNBC. Interview on Morning Joe. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/new-alliance-of-governors-works-to-safeguard-democracy-in-wake-of-trump-re-election-224326213504.
  5. Nawaz, Amma. “Democratic governors say they are leading state-level efforts to ‘protect democracy’.” PBS News Hour. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/democratic-governors-say-they-are-leading-state-level-efforts-to-protect-democracy.
  6. “Donate.” Governors Safeguarding Democracy. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://govsfordemocracy.org/donate/.
  7. “Governors Launch Initiative to Protect American Democracy.” Governors Safeguarding Democracy Press Release. November 13, 2024. https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GSD-Press-Release.pdf.
  8. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Billionaire Musk foe bankrolls second Trump resistance.” Washington Examiner. November 20, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3235838/billionaire-musk-foe-bankrolls-second-trump-resistance/.
  9. “Grants Database.” Democracy Fund. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://democracyfund.org/for-partners/grants-database/?term=GovAct.
  10. “Julia Spiegel.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-s-93370b8/.
  11. Frank, John. “Blue state resistance builds against Trump.” November 13, 2024. Accessed via Web Archive November 21, 2024. https://archive.ph/Ocbj2.
  12. Wilson, Sara. “Colorado, Illinois governors launch organization to ‘safeguard’ democracy ahead of Trump presidency.” Colorado Newsline. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/11/13/colorado-illinois-governors-launch-organization-to-safeguard-democracy-ahead-of-trump-presidency/.
  13. Abramsky, Sasha. “Resist Trump’s Extreme Policies.” The Nation. November 15, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-governors-safeguard-democracy-trump/.
  14. “Whitmer says she isn’t joining governor’s ‘Safeguarding Democracy’ group.” FOX 2 Detroit. November 19, 2024. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1550386.
  15. Michelle P. Fulcher and Ryan Warner. “Interview: Gov. Jared Polis on safeguarding democracy, Space Command, immigration, and working with a new presidential administration.” CPR News. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.cpr.org/2024/11/13/interview-gov-jared-polis-space-command-immigration-2024-election-trump/
  16. Kapos, Shia. “Blue states unite to resist federal pressure under Trump.” Politico. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/13/blue-states-unite-resist-federal-pressure-trump-00189204.
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