President Donald Trump promised to re-create the government and diminish its regulations, but he faces an increasingly organized and determined opposition in Democratic state attorneys general.

Democratic AGs, who comprise 23 of the AGs (including the District of Columbia), have filed more than a dozen lawsuits against the president and threatened more. With eyes on the 2018 elections, when voters in 30 states will choose their next AG, these Democratic officials are positioning themselves as leaders of the resistance to the White House on health care, consumer protection, education and immigration.

In addition to litigation against the president's federal policies, many observers expect AGs to ramp up enforcement in their states when and if the federal government relaxes or shifts priorities. That means that the business community's post-election deregulation dreams may be more difficult to achieve.