Gay Colorado Governor Jared Polis is joining Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in launching a new organization to stand up for democracy on the state level. Both governors are Democrats and have been mentioned as possible presidential contenders in 2028.
Governors Safeguarding Democracy "is a historic nonpartisan coalition of governors working together to protect the state-level institutions of democracy, leveraging their unique legislative, budgetary, executive, and administrative powers to deliver results for the American people," according to an announcement from Polis' office.
Though no politician is mentioned by name, the group was launched just eight days after Republican former President Donald Trump was elected to a second, nonconsecutive term.
Though Trump said he disavowed it, some appointments to his second administration were involved with Project 2025, a right-wing initiative to consolidate power in the executive branch of the federal government.
The project seeks to impart government policy with conservative Christian viewpoints and reclassify civil service workers as political appointees loyal to the president. Federal agencies like the FBI and the Justice Department would no longer be independent under the plan. Critics charge the proposal is autocratic and its implementation would undermine the separation of powers and the separation of church and state.
Trump has also used authoritarian language on numerous occasions, once calling for the U.S. Constitution to be terminated over his false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election against current President Joe Biden.
The new governors' group intends to put a spotlight on the importance of democracy.
"In this moment, protecting democracy has never been more relevant or important, and doing so demands strong leadership at the state level," stated Polis, who is co-chairing the group. "Governors Safeguarding Democracy shows our shared dedication to defending the democratic principles upon which our country is built."
Pritzker stated the organization is seeking to preserve American institutions for future generations.
"At this critical moment in our history, we must unite to protect the foundations of our democracy and ensure our institutions withstand threats and persevere in their mission to improve the lives of our people," Pritzker stated. "Governors Safeguarding Democracy will serve as a powerful force in state-level efforts to ensure that our democracy lives up to our ideals and thrives for generations to come."
The group is "grounded in the belief that saving and strengthening our democracy will require proactive and robust efforts at the state-level," the announcement states, continuing that the group will "implement affirmative strategies to protect the rule of law and deliver for people in the states ... reinforce key state institutions to protect executive agencies, elections, state courts, and other core democratic bodies ... [and] develop playbooks to enable governors and their teams to anticipate and swiftly respond to emerging threats."
A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom, another possible 2028 presidential contender, stated that he will be learning about the group. For his part, Newsom (D), has called a special session of the Legislature December 2 to protect "California values, including fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, immigrant families, and more," an announcement from his office stated.
"The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won't sit idle," Newsom stated. "California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive."
The special session is expected to be devoted to devising ways to shore up state programs and finances in advance of Trump taking office. Trump has previously been critical of the Golden State and has threatened to cut off wildfire disaster aid.
"While Governor Newsom will work with the incoming administration when there is common ground, the governor is focused on ensuring California is protected in a second Trump administration," the spokesperson stated.
"Since the election, he has called on a special state legislative session to bolster California's legal defenses and has been working with the Biden administration to maximize President Biden' last few weeks in office," the spokesperson continued. "He's been in conversations with governors across the country since the election, including Governors Polis and Pritzker, and looks forward to learning more about this group as it gets stood up."
Polis, for his part, isn't going to automatically be opposed to every Trump move. He stated November 14 on X that he's "excited" by Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer by profession, is the son and namesake of the slain senator, U.S. attorney general, and brother to the 35th president. RFK Jr. ran for the Democratic presidential nomination against Biden this cycle, then changed his party affiliation to independent, and ultimately dropped out and endorsed Trump. He has made a number of false claims about public health and promoted conspiracy theories, particularly in the area of vaccines.
Polis made it clear that while he disagrees with Kennedy on the vaccine issues, he hopes he will "help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA," referring to the Food and Drug Administration.
"I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I'm most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health," Polis stated, adding he hopes Kennedy will cap drug prices, promote nutrition, and fight pesticide-intensive agriculture, moves he's said he's tried to advocate for in the Centennial State.
"He [Kennedy] will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again and I hope that we can finally make progress on these important issues," Polis stated.
Polis received some pushback on his initial comments from Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D), who is a physician, and others. The Hill reported that he was trying to see the glass as half-full, as he told CNN.
LGBTQ Agenda is an online column that appears weekly. Got a tip on queer news? Contact John Ferrannini at [email protected]
Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday the LGBTQ Agenda column will return Tuesday, December 10.
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