Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and more than 20 Democratic attorneys general nationwide are leading an extensive mobilization to Trump-proof the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Facing fears of federal voter intimidation, armed agents at polling places, and efforts to undermine balloting, these officials have spent over a year war-gaming contingencies, researching the law, and drafting emergency lawsuits.
The Bottom Line
- The Stakes: Democratic attorneys general are actively preparing emergency lawsuits and temporary restraining orders to safeguard the upcoming Nov. 3 midterm elections.
- The Threat: Officials like Colorado’s Phil Weiser cite profound concerns over potential federal government interference, armed federal agents at polling places, and internal subversion.
- The Mobilization: Alongside state lawsuits—numbering over 125 during Trump’s second term—parties and civil rights groups are organizing 10,000 volunteer poll guardians and voter education hotlines.
Inside the War Rooms of Democratic Attorneys General
High above downtown Denver, from a perch 10 stories up in his office overlooking the gold-domed Capitol, Phil Weiser gazes toward November with a sense of acute vigilance. Rather than looking outward toward international actors or traditional security threats, his primary worry rests much closer to home. Weiser warns of a tyrannical president using real and imagined powers to undermine or disrupt the electoral process.
“With this administration what we have seen is it’s important that we not limit our imagination to what … type of harm could happen,” Weiser stated during a noon interview in Denver. To counter these anticipated disruptions, Weiser and peers such as California’s Rob Bonta have spent over a year coordinating via phone, Zoom, and in-person sessions. Their objective is clear: preemptively build a legal shield around the voting franchise.
Here is the kicker. Instead of scrambling in real-time or pulling exhausting all-nighters on election night, these legal teams have systematically war-gamed potential scenarios. They have researched historical precedents, divided operational responsibilities, and pre-drafted emergency lawsuits and temporary restraining orders ready to be filed in court at a split second’s notice.
Grassroots Defense Meets Institutional Lawsuits
The state-level legal offensive complements a massive grassroots mobilization across the country. State Democratic parties are aggressively working to recruit 10,000 volunteers to monitor polling locations in case armed federal agents appear to intimidate voters. Concurrently, advocacy groups and democracy-defending organizations are running tabletop exercises to rehearse responses to various procedural interference tactics.
Prominent election attorney Marc Elias weighed in on the urgency of these preparations during a July interview at the Capitol with MS NOW. Pointing to the events of 2020, Elias emphasized that threats in the 2026 midterm run-up must be handled both literally and seriously. “What we’re doing is preparing for the fact that Donald Trump, in 2020, lied about the election in advance, lied about it in the aftermath, went to court … and then he instigated a violent insurrection in this very building,” Elias said.
| Action / Entity | Focus Area | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Attorneys General (led by Phil Weiser, Rob Bonta, and 20+ peers) | Preemptive Litigation | Filed over 125 lawsuits during Trump’s second term; pre-drafted emergency TROs and lawsuits for the Nov. 3 midterms. |
| State Democratic Parties | Polling Place Presence | Aimed at recruiting 10,000 volunteers to guard polling places against potential federal intimidation. |
| Civil Rights & Democracy Groups | Simulations & Education | Staged tabletop exercises, established voter hotlines, and launched informational campaigns regarding rules. |
Filling the Vacuum Left by Congress
In an ideal constitutional framework, the legislative branch would act as a reliable counterweight to executive overreach. However, Weiser points out that the current Republican-led Congress has suffered from a distinct lack of backbone. This institutional failure to maintain rigorous checks and balances has forced state attorneys general to step directly into the vacuum.
During Trump’s second term alone, the nation’s 24 Democratic attorneys general have filed more than 125 lawsuits. These actions have successfully challenged administration policies spanning trade, tariffs, energy regulations, immigration, and efforts to dismantle entire government agencies. Notably, these state-level prosecutors have prevailed in the vast majority of cases that reached settlement or formal adjudication.
Planning for these midterm protections began long before the current electoral cycle heated up. Anticipating the implementation of Project 2025 agendas—such as challenges to birthright citizenship, interference with mail-in ballot delivery, and the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—these attorneys general prepared early. With Weiser most likely to be elected Colorado’s next governor on Nov. 3, anchored in large part by his record of challenging the administration in court, the battle lines for American democracy are firmly drawn at the state level.
