Gov. J.B. Pritzker will serve as co-chair of Governors Safeguarding Democracy, a new nonpartisan coalition of governors.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis have formed a coalition of governors to fight against “increasing threats of autocracy” and strengthen democracy during a second Donald Trump presidency.
The goal of Governors Safeguarding Democracy, or GSD, is to protect state-level institutions of democracy — and to utilize their collective legislative, budgetary, executive and administrative powers. Pritzker said it will “catalyze collaboration across state lines.”
“It’s built off a model that all of us governors have already successfully pioneered through the Reproductive Freedom Alliance,” Pritzker 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.”
The coalition marks the latest national effort by Pritzker, who is considering his own political future as a third-term governor and a potential 2028 presidential candidate. The Democratic governor formed the nonprofit Think Big America last year to help support abortion rights ballot initiatives. The group was victorious in seven states.
The newly formed governors’ coalition is being called “nonpartisan,” but co-chairs Pritzker and Polis didn’t detail GOP participation in a call with reporters. They also made no direct mention of Trump himself.
“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 for a list of participating governors, a spokesperson said some governors didn’t want to be named publicly.
Pritzker cited environmental protections and the threat of mass deportations as the types of issues the governors will be discussing. Pritzker called “unacceptable” incoming Trump administration aide Stephen Miller’s plan to use red state National Guard units in blue states to aid in mass deportations. Miller will be Trump’s deputy chief of policy adviser.
“That’s not something that within Title 32 anybody would anticipate would be allowed, and we would not, certainly not cooperate with that,” Pritzker said. “Beyond that I can’t speak to how they would intend to get that accomplished.”
The group will also focus on protecting the integrity of election systems — including tampering from foreign entities.
“We are constantly on guard and under attack honestly, by Iran, China, Russia — our systems here in the state of Illinois. So it’s not as if we abdicate any response to a threat to the federal government,” Pritzker said. “We have to be our own response and certainly to the extent the federal government doesn’t do enough or isn’t responding in a way that’s to our liking, we reserve the right to respond in our own ways.”
The goal is to protect executive agencies, elections and state courts — and to also develop playbooks for governors and teams to use in response to “emerging threats,” Pritzker said. The group is being funded by philanthropic efforts — and Pritzker, a prolific supporter of Democratic causes, said he hasn’t contributed any of his own funds.
Polis said the coalition is collaborating with think tanks, legal experts, democracy and open government advocates to create plans that will “truly protect the rule of law.”
“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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