Americas Challenges

Deep dive into Spiegle & Clough, who they are and what they do

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Julia Spiegel and Emma Clough with the Governors Action Alliance (GovAct) and related organizations, focusing on their roles, responsibilities, interconnections, and how these affiliations influence their interactions with state senators as of March 13, 2025.

Investigation: “Deep Dive into Julia Spiegel and Emma Clough’s Affiliations with GovAct and Beyond”

Objective:

Explore the affiliations of Julia Spiegel and Emma Clough with GovAct and related entities, detailing their roles, responsibilities, organizational networks, and how these ties shape their indirect influence on state senators.

Step 1: Julia Spiegel’s Affiliations

  • Primary Affiliation: Founder and CEO, Governors Action Alliance (GovAct)
    • Details: Spiegel founded GovAct pre-2023, establishing it as a nonpartisan hub to support governors in protecting freedoms (democracy, reproductive rights, climate). By 2024, it re-launched alongside Governors Safeguarding Democracy, expanding its scope.
    • Responsibilities: As CEO, she defines GovAct’s strategy, oversees coalitions, secures funding (e.g., $500,000 from Democracy Fund in September 2024), and fosters governor networks. GovAct operates under Global Impact’s fiscal sponsorship, a left-leaning advocacy group tied to gun control and environmental causes.
    • Evidence: GovAct’s website (updated January 2025) lists her as CEO; InfluenceWatch notes its left-of-center lean despite nonpartisan branding.
  • Related Organizations:
    1. Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA):
      • Role: Former Head (pre-GovAct); instrumental in its creation under Gov. Gavin Newsom post-Dobbs (2022).
      • Connection: RFA, now led by Christina Chang within GovAct, unites 23 governors to defend abortion access. Spiegel’s foundational work ties her to its ongoing efforts.
      • Influence: Governors in RFA (e.g., Newsom, Pritzker) push state-level policies, indirectly engaging state senators (e.g., California’s 2024 abortion shield laws).
    2. Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD):
      • Role: Oversees as GovAct CEO; GSD, co-chaired by Govs. Pritzker (IL) and Polis (CO), launched in 2024 to counter federal shifts (e.g., Trump’s 2024 election).
      • Connection: GSD is a GovAct coalition, with Allegra Chapman as Managing Director. Spiegel’s leadership links her to its democracy-focused playbook.
      • Influence: GSD’s December 2024 email (per Daily Signal) offered governors executive order templates, impacting state senators when governors seek legislative backing.
    3. Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom:
      • Role: Former Legal Counsel and Senior Advisor (pre-2023).
      • Connection: Spiegel advised Newsom on litigation and reproductive rights, shaping California’s post-Dobbs stance. This experience informs GovAct’s governor-centric model.
      • Influence: Newsom’s California policies (e.g., $15 billion climate package) often require State Senate votes, indirectly tied to Spiegel’s past and current work.
    4. Global Impact Social Welfare Fund:
      • Role: GovAct’s fiscal sponsor.
      • Connection: Global Impact, a progressive nonprofit, ties Spiegel to broader left-leaning networks, amplifying GovAct’s reach with grants to liberal causes.
      • Influence: Funding bolsters GovAct’s ability to influence governors, trickling to state legislatures.
  • State Senator Interface:
    • Mechanism: Spiegel’s affiliations focus on governors, not direct state senator contact. RFA and GSD policies (e.g., abortion access, voting rights) require state senate action in states like Illinois or California, making her influence indirect but significant.
    • Evidence: No direct meetings noted, but GovAct’s 2024 playbooks and Spiegel’s MSNBC appearances (post-Trump election) highlight governor-driven legislative agendas.

Step 2: Emma Clough’s Affiliations

  • Primary Affiliation: Special Assistant to the CEO, Governors Action Alliance (GovAct)
    • Details: Clough joined GovAct pre-2024, serving under Spiegel. Her role solidified by January 2025 (per GovAct staff page).
    • Responsibilities: Provides high-level administrative, communication, and coordination support to Spiegel, managing schedules, drafting materials, and supporting GovAct’s coalitions (RFA, GSD).
    • Evidence: GovAct’s website and a December 2024 email (Daily Signal) confirm her as a key coordinator; X posts (March 2025) dub her “Julia’s sidekick.”
  • Related Organizations:
    1. Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom:
      • Role: Intern (2022-2023, two stints).
      • Connection: Clough gained policy and public service experience under Newsom, overlapping with Spiegel’s tenure. This informs her GovAct work, especially California-focused efforts.
      • Influence: Her familiarity with Newsom’s operation aids GovAct’s California initiatives (e.g., climate advocacy), which governors pitch to State Senators.
    2. Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA):
      • Role: Supports via GovAct duties.
      • Connection: Clough assists Spiegel on RFA-related tasks, though not a leader. Her logistical work sustains RFA’s 23-governor coalition.
      • Influence: RFA’s abortion policies (e.g., California’s provider protections) involve state senators, with Clough enabling governor outreach.
    3. Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD):
      • Role: Coordinator under Spiegel.
      • Connection: Clough’s December 12, 2024, email invited governors’ staffs to briefings on executive actions (e.g., National Guard prep), tying her to GSD’s operational side.
      • Influence: GSD’s templates for resisting federal policies (e.g., Trump deportations) reach state senators when governors seek legislative alignment.
  • State Senator Interface:
    • Mechanism: Clough’s role is logistical, not strategic. She facilitates governor-state senator interactions by coordinating GovAct’s outreach (e.g., California climate briefings), but doesn’t engage senators directly.
    • Evidence: Her email (Daily Signal) and X sentiment (March 2025) show her as a behind-the-scenes enabler, not a negotiator.

Step 3: Deeper Affiliations and Networks

  • Funding Ties:
    • Democracy Fund: Pierre Omidyar’s $500,000 grant (September 2024) links GovAct to progressive philanthropy, amplifying Spiegel and Clough’s reach. This funding supports playbooks and coalitions influencing state policy.
    • Global Impact: As fiscal sponsor, it connects GovAct to a network of liberal causes, indirectly bolstering its governor-state senate pipeline.
  • Advisory Board: GovAct’s board (e.g., ex-Govs. Arne Carlson, William Weld) blends bipartisan optics with anti-Trump sentiment, shaping its post-2024 election strategy—relevant to states with active senates.
  • Overlap with Other Groups:
    • Spiegel’s past with Samantha Power (UN) and Stanford teaching ties her to elite policy circles, informing GovAct’s sophisticated approach.
    • Clough’s UC Davis theses on media and criminal justice reform suggest intellectual alignment with GovAct’s freedom-focused mission.

Step 4: Comparative Impact

  • Spiegel: Her affiliations (Newsom, RFA, GSD) position her as a high-level influencer, indirectly driving state senate agendas through governors. Her network is broad, strategic, and resource-rich.
  • Clough: Her affiliations (Newsom internships, GovAct) are narrower, operational, and California-centric, supporting Spiegel’s vision with practical execution.

Findings:

  • Julia Spiegel:
    • Affiliations: CEO of GovAct; ex-Newsom advisor; RFA founder; GSD overseer; Global Impact ties.

 

    • Responsibilities: Leads GovAct, shapes governor policies, leverages funding and coalitions.
    • State Senators: Indirectly influences via governor agendas (e.g., RFA, GSD), no direct contact.
  • Emma Clough:
    • Affiliations: Special Assistant at GovAct; ex-Newsom intern; RFA/GSD supporter.
    • Responsibilities: Coordinates Spiegel’s efforts, manages logistics, supports governor outreach.
    • State Senators: Indirectly facilitates through GovAct’s governor-state senate bridge, focused on execution.

Conclusions:

Spiegel’s affiliations weave a tapestry of governor-focused influence, indirectly steering state senators through coalitions like RFA and GSD, backed by progressive funding. Clough’s ties, rooted in California and GovAct, make her the operational linchpin, enabling Spiegel’s vision to reach state legislatures via governors. By March 13, 2025, their synergy amplifies GovAct’s impact—Spiegel as the architect, Clough as the builder—without direct state senator handshakes.

Investigator’s Report:

Spiegel’s a heavyweight—GovAct CEO with Newsom cred, RFA roots, and GSD clout, pulling strings through governors that state senators feel downstream. Clough’s her California-bred sidekick, turning strategy into action with emails and elbow grease. Their affiliations—Democracy Fund cash, Global Impact’s umbrella—supercharge GovAct’s reach, indirectly nudging state senates via gubernatorial muscle.

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