In response to the potential impacts of a second Trump administration, Democratic governors across the country have moved swiftly to their states’ progressive policies. California Governor Gavin Newsom, for instance, called for a special session of the California legislature immediately after the election to protect Californians from the dangers posed by a second Trump term. This session will allow California lawmakers to pass critical legislation aimed at safeguarding Californians from anticipated threats to civil liberties, environmental protections, and public safety. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and Colorado governor Jared Polis formed a coalition, “Governors Safeguarding Democracy,” to resist potential federal policies affecting political investigations, deportations, and university diversity programs. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have also pledged to enhance protections for immigrants, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive healthcare. These bold actions serve as a clear demonstration of the unique power that blue states have to defend their residents and values, even against a federal government hostile to progressive policies.
In an increasingly polarized political landscape, these governors’ actions underscore how blue states must be prepared to act as defensive bulwarks for progressive values. With a federal administration under Trump likely to pursue aggressive rollbacks on issues like reproductive rights, voting access, climate protections, and labor laws, states governed by Democratic leaders have the responsibility to enact protective measures that ensure the safety, rights, and freedoms of their residents.
Why This Matters: State Power as a Counterweight to Trump’s Agenda
The U.S. federal system grants states substantial powers, allowing them to act as “laboratories of democracy” in setting forward-thinking policies to address critical issues like healthcare, the environment, and education. But in recent years, state politics have polarized, producing stark differences between red and blue states. Under a second Trump administration, red states would likely double down on restrictive measures, banning abortion, relaxing environmental laws, and limiting LGBTQ+ rights. Meanwhile, blue states have both the power and responsibility to push back by maintaining and even advancing policies that protect the most vulnerable.
Newsom, Polis, Pritzker, and others’ actions are a model of what blue state leaders can do to safeguard these protections and serve as a counterbalance to Trump’s extreme agenda. By fortifying their states’ autonomy and making use of state resources, Democratic governors are sending a strong message: blue states can and must act to protect their residents against federal policies that would undermine their health, safety, and freedoms. That starts now.
