DNC chair candidate Ben Wikler speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2025.Rod Lamkey/AP
A collective of predominantly Democratic strategists and influential individuals are revitalizing a political action committee intended to reinforce election-protection framework leading up to 2028 by prioritizing frequently ignored state-level offices overseeing electoral administration, legal proceedings, and validation.
Democracy Defenders, the group which previously dedicated efforts to backing legal actions and aiding post-election preparations collaboratively with the Harris presidential bid, is revealing exclusively to ABC News its relaunch of their political entity. The plan involves allocating upwards of $10 to $15 million towards “safeguarding democracy and the rule of law” in contests for Attorneys General, Secretaries of State, and state Supreme Courts within pivotal presidential states—regions they deem essential in averting growing menaces from Trump and his associates to undermine the 2028 election.
"The immediate objective is to render the electoral system impervious to sabotage by 2028," former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair and Democracy Defenders participant Ben Wikler disclosed to ABC News.
DNC chair candidate Ben Wikler speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2025.Rod Lamkey/AP
Following his endeavors to reverse the outcomes of the 2020 presidential contest, Trump and his circle have undertaken actions since the commencement of his second term to reshape upcoming elections.
In January, they confiscated boxes containing 2020 election documentation from a Fulton County, Georgia, polling place, and last month, Trump labeled Virginia's special election on a newly drawn congressional map as "rigged" absent any substantiating evidence.
Furthermore, they've advocated for Republicans to "nationalize" and "assume control" over elections.
Focusing on down-ballot races
The lower-tier races targeted by the PAC could dictate resolution of certification disagreements, electoral lawsuits, voting regulations, and redistricting at a juncture where numerous laws concerning voting are being vigorously contested in court, Norm Eisen, a prominent Democratic lawyer who served as co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump's initial impeachment, communicated to ABC News during an interview. Eisen is providing pro-bono, external counsel for the organization.
"If the situation mirrors 2020, hinging on the integrity of a handful of AGs and secretaries upholding the legitimate results, it is imperative to have pro-democracy leaders in the roles of AGs and secretary of state," Eisen asserted.
Norm Eisen, attorney of Lisa Cook, a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, arrives at the federal courthouse in Washington, Aug. 29, 2025.Jose Luis Magana/AP
Jim Messina, who directed President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election bid and is now set to preside over the advisory board, conveyed to ABC that the state office races pinpointed by the PAC are routinely "underfunded significantly," despite their management of "the fundamental groundwork" essential for conducting elections.
Also serving on the board are former Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock, former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, and Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Day-to-day functionalities will be supervised by TJ Ducklo, a former staffer for Joe Biden in 2020 and 2024, alongside Wikler and former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes.
Ramping up fundraising
Democracy Defenders is simultaneously intensifying its fundraising endeavors, featuring planned events with former President Joe Biden and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' 2024 running mate.
According to the group, their operations are commencing in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, with the likelihood of expansion to additional states. They are equally prioritizing certain off-year elections in 2027, notably another Wisconsin Supreme Court race. PAC organizers indicated that they injected "several hundred thousand dollars" into the Georgia Supreme Court race on Tuesday, albeit without success in those candidacies.
The previous year witnessed Elon Musk investing $20 million into the critical Wisconsin Supreme Court contest via his own PAC. Democracy Defenders is endeavoring to replicate similar efforts on a more modest scale. Leading up to the Georgia Supreme Court race on Tuesday, the organization allocated funds to support former state Sen. Jen Jordan and attorney Miracle Rankin. While both experienced defeat, Rankin came within a 2-percentage point margin of unseating the incumbent, per an Associated Press forecast.
Jim Messina, campaign manager for President Barack Obama in 2012, and co-chairman of a super PAC promoting Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, leaves after speaking to baseball owners at meetings, May 18, 2016, in New York.Kathy Willens/AP
PAC organizers state that election denialism within the Republican Party has evolved in sophistication, underscoring that down-ballot candidates in crucial states are not consistently campaigning on "Stop the Steal" themes, unlike the period following the 2020 election. Nevertheless, they persist in endorsing voting restrictions and even the utilization of law enforcement pertaining to elections.
'Different shades of authoritarians'
"We've observed Donald Trump and Burt Jones, a gubernatorial candidate [in Georgia], who acted as a false elector and personally journeyed to Washington, D.C., carrying a letter intended for Mike Pence on the eve of the insurrection… remarkably, he remains on the ballot today," Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Baker commented in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday.
Baker continued: "Donald Trump will eventually depart from office; however, he has engendered within the Republican Party a variety of authoritarian-leaning individuals. Thus, even after his departure, we cannot assume we are entirely free from the risk of such actions being perpetuated."
Jones, who faced no legal action regarding the alleged false elector scheme, did not secure an outright victory in his primary on Tuesday—he is slated for a June runoff.
Messina clarified that despite the party's introspection following Harris' election setback, the PAC is not endeavoring to transform into another presidential super PAC or establish independent Democratic power structures divorced from entities such as the Democratic National Committee, which primarily concentrates on congressional and gubernatorial races. Direct coordination with the DNC is not underway. Instead, the group avows its collaboration directly with state parties and candidates.
"I do not perceive this as a denunciation of any sort," Messina remarked concerning the PAC's revival. "Our aim is to contribute a substantial checkbook and considerable federal funding."
Messina further stated that the group is still in the process of "ascertaining" its donor base. While top Democratic donors are already involved, Messina emphasized the interest from additional—even Republican or non-partisan—donors in these endeavors.
"I've encountered new donors—some of whom I am meeting for the first time despite my 30 years in national politics—and individuals are increasingly stepping forward," Messina conveyed.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com