US Democratic governors form group to oppose President-elect Trump's policies

ISTANBUL

Two Democratic Party governors have formed a coalition of fellow state-level executives to oppose the policies of the incoming second Donald Trump presidency.

Called Governors Safeguarding Democracy, their group aims to protect state-level democratic institutions and leverage their combined legislative, budgetary, executive, and administrative powers, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Wednesday.

The group will “catalyze collaboration across state lines,” said J.B. Pritzker, governor of the US State of Illinois, who founded the group along with Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

“It’s built off a model that all of us governors have already successfully pioneered through the Reproductive Freedom Alliance,” he said, referring to a group favoring a woman’s right to choose an abortion, formed after the US Supreme Court returned the decision to individual US states, but with many fearing a nationwide ban.

“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 added.

The coalition is the latest national initiative by Pritzker, who is evaluating his political future as he serves his third term as governor and considers a possible 2028 presidential run.

Last week’s election of former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, which took many by surprise, triggered efforts by Democratic activists and politicians to limit what they see as the damage he could do in a second term.