While Trump’s traitors scheme and sell out democracy one backroom deal at a time, real patriots are already in the fight—facing down fascism with nothing but grit, smarts, and a righteous sense of purpose.

Welcome to the other side of the coin. This is the Wolverine Fighters list. It’s where we shine a blinding light on the people who refuse to back down—the organizers, politicians, watchdogs, digital warriors, and everyday Americans who show up, speak out, and fight like hell for democracy.

Whether they’re building voter maps at 2 a.m., handing out water at protests, or blowing the whistle on corruption inside the machine, these are the folks history will remember. Not because they had power handed to them—but because they earned it with courage and action.

💪 Who’s on the List?

• Political Fighters: Governors like Tim Walz who stare down MAGA lies and say not on my watch.

• Data Diggers: Citizens combing campaign finance records, dark money flows, and voter suppression laws.

• Organizers: From local union leaders to Gen Z firebrands dragging truth to the surface.

• Street Heroes: Medics, marchers, food runners, and election defenders—the lifeblood of protest.

🧨 Add to the Fight

Know someone who belongs on this list? Drop their name in the comments—we’ll shout them from the rooftops. The No Wimps Army honors fighters, not fence-sitters.

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”
— And Wolverine Fighters don’t do nothing. They do everything.

THE WOLVERINES:

Homepage | Indivisible – A nationwide movement of local groups founded by former congressional staffers after 2016 to resist Trump’s agenda. Indivisible empowers citizens in all 50 states to pressure officials, register voters, and champion progressive democracy reforms. The network’s ethos: “Our democracy is under threat. But we will not yield to fascism. We will stand together and fight back in defense of our rights, our communities, and our values. From town halls to phone banks, Indivisible volunteers have been on the front lines of American democratic activism since the first Women’s March. If you want to fight, create a local group in your community. Indivisible will show you how!

Bernie Sanders & AOC – Two firebrands selling OG fight to the masses. The Democratic leadership tell you they are “unrealistic.” What they are selling can’t be done. Do I agree with everything Bernie and AOC say? Hell no! I just respect the hell out of them for having the guts to stand up and fight for what they believe. Don’t listen to the losers who let Trump into the White House again! Wolverines don’t “go along to get along!” Attend their rallies and spread their message!

Anonymous – I won’t give you a link to them because…I have no idea who they are or where they are. And I don’t care. They are described as the “loose, leader-less hacktivist collective.” But to me, they are the Section 31 of American Democracy. Anonymous has breached and exposed data from Russian state agencies and American far-right groups alike. For example, Anonymous hackers in 2021–22 infiltrated Epik (a web host for extremist sites), leaking files that unmasked organizers of Proud Boys and other far-right networks. By sabotaging neo-Nazi, QAnon, and Kremlin propaganda operations, Anonymous leverages digital guerrilla tactics to defend democracy and shine light on violent conspirators – living up to their motto, “We do not forgive, we do not forget.” Wolverines! Fuck yeah!

Heather Cox Richardson – a Boston College professor and author of the wildly popular Letters from an American Substack. She lives on the Maine coast with her husband “Buddy,” a working lobsterman. She loathes the idea of being a politician, and that’s fine, because her fight is teaching us who we are, where we came from, and why this is the most dangerous time in the history of our country. Read her fact-based, hype-free Substack. I do! Resources: Her book: Democracy Awakening. Her newsletter: wbur.org. Her Substack: Letters from an American

Liz Cheney – I know. I rabidly disagree with everything she believes. And if I had my way, her dad would be rotting in Fort Leavenworth. HOWEVER, she sacrificed her House seat by taking on Trump. As vice-chair of the Jan. 6 Committee, Cheney insisted on truth and accountability for the insurrection. She has warned bluntly that the US is “sleepwalking into dictatorship” as her party embraces Trump. Cheney now urges Americans to put country over party to defeat the “uniquely grave threat” Trump poses to democracy. And for that, she’s a Wolverine. That woman has GRIT!

Jocelyn Benson – Michigan’s chief election officer who endured armed protesters at her home after certifying Biden’s 2020 win. Benson has since fortified protections for voters and poll workers, and she speaks nationally about threats to election security. She notes that election officials have seen “the depths to which people will go to try to reject democracy,” pointing to Jan. 6 as a warning. Under Benson’s leadership, Michigan expanded ballot access while standing up to disinformation. That woman’s Ovaries!

Adam Kinzinger – Like Liz Cheney, Kinzinger is one of the few Republicans who defied Trump. He now leads Country First, a movement to mobilize the “Reasonable Majority” against political extremism. He served on the Jan. 6 Committee and voted to impeach Trump, fully aware it could end his career. Kinzinger’s Country First initiative puts nation over party – awakening citizens to reject toxic MAGA authoritarianism and defend American democracy from within the GOP.

Marc Elias – Founder of Elias Law Group and Democracy Docket, and a lawyer who focuses on voting rights litigation. Elias has led countless court battles to block voter suppression and election subversion. He founded Democracy Docket in 2020 to educate the public and coordinate litigation, as the GOP launched a wave of suits to undermine voting rights. (Republicans have always known they rarely win elections if they allow everyone to vote.) Elias and his team filed hundreds of pro-voting lawsuits from 2021–2024, defeating many attempts to disenfranchise voters. His relentless legal offense – from defending mail-in ballots to suing over gerrymanders – has safeguarded access to the ballot for millions.

Rusty Bowers – Former AZ House Speaker (R). A conservative Republican who put country over party when it mattered most. As Arizona’s House Speaker, Bowers refused Trump’s pressure to decertify Arizona’s 2020 electors and rejected wild fraud schemes, citing his oath to the Constitution. He endured threats and political exile for this principled stand. In 2022 Bowers received the JFK Profile in Courage Award for refusing to consider overturning the election “despite massive pressure” from Trump and his allies, cementing his legacy as a guardian of democracy.

Alexander Vindman – Former. Lt. Col., U.S. National Security Council (former). Decorated Army officer who blew the whistle on Trump’s infamous Ukraine call in 2019. Vindman honored his oath by reporting Trump’s attempt to coerce Ukraine for political favors, triggering the first impeachment. In retaliation, he was vilified and pushed out of the military – yet he’s fought back with a lawsuit against Trump’s circle for witness intimidation. An immigrant from the USSR, Vindman poignantly noted, “I know democracy is fragile and I’ve committed my life to its defense”.

Cassidy Hutchinson – Former White House Aide & Whistleblower. A young aide-turned-whistleblower who delivered explosive public testimony on Trump’s behavior during Jan. 6. Hutchinson bravely defied efforts to silence her, revealing that Trump knew his crowd was armed and even encouraged their aggression (saying “I don’t fucking care that they have weapons”). Her courage in detailing the White House’s complicity – under oath and under threat – provided crucial evidence to hold powerful actors accountable and inform the public about the truth behind the insurrection.

(These last two Patriots are the ultimate Wolverines. They didn’t have to be whistle-blowers. They could have just kept their mouths shut and played it safe. But they couldn’t. That’s the highest form of integrity…something Trump’s Traitors know nothing about. And one of them was an immigrant, the people Trump is deporting to foreign prisons without due process.)

Jack Smith – Special Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice. If you don’t know who Jack Smith is, you’ve been hiding in a bunker with a pillow over your head. A no-nonsense federal prosecutor appointed to investigate Trump’s coup attempt and other high-level crimes. Smith brought a historic four-count indictment accusing Trump of an “unprecedented criminal effort” to overturn the 2020 election – including charges that Trump plotted to obstruct the certification of votes. Although Trump’s 2024 campaign complicated the case, Smith’s investigation gathered overwhelming evidence and affirmed that no one is above the law. He has endured personal attacks while steadfastly defending the rule of law in the face of authoritarian defiance. And the only reason we know about him is because the press covered his actions. He did his job and did it to the best of his abilities. I’m proud to call him Wolverine.

Merrick Garland – U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice. As the nation’s top law enforcement officer, Garland has overseen the most sprawling investigation in DOJ history – prosecuting over 1,000 Jan. 6 rioters and the architects behind them. He declared that the Justice Dept. has “no higher priority” than holding accountable “all January 6th perpetrators, at any level” for the assault on our democracy. Under Garland, DOJ has also sued states over voter suppression and defended the civil rights of marginalized groups. Though low-key in style, he has authorized unprecedented legal action against those who would subvert democratic rule. Like Jack Smith, this guy did his job and didn’t thump his chest to brag about it. That’s a Patriot.

Fair Fight Action – A Georgia-based Voting Rights Nonprofit. Founded by Stacey Abrams after Georgia’s contested 2018 gubernatorial race, Fair Fight Action combats voter suppression and promotes fair elections. The organization has led legal challenges to restrictive voting laws and built voter protection teams in battleground states. Fair Fight’s advocacy contributed to historic turnout gains among Black and marginalized voters in Georgia. It also educates citizens on how to protect their vote, working to ensure “every American deserves the opportunity to make their voice heard and be fairly represented.

Brad Raffensperger – Secretary of State (Georgia). A Republican election official who famously refused Trump’s demand to “find” extra votes to overturn Georgia’s 2020 results. Raffensperger upheld the true vote count despite enormous pressure and harassment. He then won re-election against a Trump-backed challenger, proving that integrity can prevail. Raffensperger champions secure, fair elections and has become an unlikely hero for democratic process over party.

Committee to Protect Journalists – A press freedom watchdog, CPJ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending journalists’ rights and a free press. CPJ has sounded the alarm over eroding press freedom in the U.S. during the Trump era, documenting a “rising tide of threats” against independent media. In a 2025 report on Trump’s treatment of the press, CPJ warned of a “startling number of actions that…threaten the availability of independent, fact-based news” to Americans. CPJ’s CEO implored newsrooms to unite, noting “Journalists are always the first to be attacked when democracy declines…these attacks should be ringing alarm bells for every single person in the United States.” The CPJ campaigns globally – including within the U.S. – to protect reporters from censorship, violence, and intimidation. – These guys may be the most important organization on this list because when we lose the free press, when the only news that gets served up is what the government approves, then we have a dictatorship. Period.

Sarah Longwell – Publisher of The Bulwark, President & CEO of Longwell Partners. Sarah Longwell has been a leading voice among “Never Trump” conservatives. She co-founded The Bulwark, a news and opinion platform that provides analysis in defense of America’s liberal democracy. Through her work with the Republican Accountability Project and Defending Democracy Together, she has organized campaigns to hold Republican officials accountable for actions that undermine democratic norms. Longwell also hosts The Focus Group podcast, where she engages with voters to understand and influence public opinion against authoritarian tendencies within the political landscape. While I am a non-aligned Centrist, I lean Progressive. But we need people Like Sarah Longwell to not only ride herd on the few real Conservatives left, but also to push back against over-reach by Democrats when the Intolerant Left gets out of hand. Her dedication to preserving democratic values and challenging authoritarianism makes her a true Wolverine in the fight for America’s democratic future.

Black Lives Matter – A decentralized movement for civil rights & community defense. I view them much as the Jewish Defense League; sad that they need to exist, but necessary when MAGA is primarily a “Whites Only” club, denying rights to People of Color wherever and whenever possible. BLM is a grassroots civil rights movement that rose up against police brutality and systemic racism, which are often enabled by authoritarian abuses of power. BLM protests exploded nationwide in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, demanding equality and accountability. In response, President Trump took an authoritarian approach – sending federal agents into cities to crack down on largely peaceful BLM demonstrators and labeling protest hubs “anarchist” jurisdictions. Nonetheless, Black Lives Matter persisted. The movement’s sustained activism forced police reforms in many cities and increased public awareness that racial justice is integral to true democracy. BLM’s community organizers continue to defend marginalized communities from violence and voter suppression, embodying the anti-fascist ethos of “power to the people.” In other words, when Democracy isn’t for everyone, then it’s for no one.

March For Our Lives – Youth-led gun reform movement. Gee, can’t imagine that a generation raised on assassin defense drills in their classrooms would organize a gun safety & youth civic engagement movement. I’m sure the NRA thinks they are communists, or Nazis, or some other stupid title. Or maybe they are young people tired of being victims in their own classrooms. A student-led movement against gun violence that stands up to the authoritarian grip of the gun lobby. Formed by teenage survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, March For Our Lives galvanized millions in rallies for common-sense gun laws. Their advocacy helped usher in a “new era” in the gun safety fight – with over 250 gun safety laws passed at various levels since 2018. MFOL leaders like David Hogg frame gun violence as an undemocratic assault on Americans’ right to live safely, and they call out extremist politicians who prioritize gun manufacturers over kids’ lives. By registering young voters and pushing policies like universal background checks, these youth activists prove that passionate civic engagement can beat back fear and authoritarian narratives.

George Soros – Philanthropist & investor funding pro-democracy causes. Billionaire philanthropist vilified by authoritarians worldwide for his unwavering support of open society values. Soros has donated over $32 billion of his fortune to empower civil society, human rights, and democratic governance initiatives. His Open Society Foundations form the world’s largest private funder of pro-democracy and justice causes, operating in over 120 countries. In the U.S., Soros’s grants have bolstered everything from voting rights organizations and community organizers to investigative journalism outfits. Despite conspiracy theories targeting him, Soros remains unapologetic in backing those fighting authoritarianism – believing that transparent, accountable government and equality under the law are worth investing in, at any cost. I may denigrate a lot of self-serving billionaires, but this son-of-a-gun is a Wolverine through and through.

If you have a Wolverine to recommend for the list, put them in the comments below and tell us why.