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On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Texas Democrats, along with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, met Tuesday to continue the fight against a redistricting plan to add five seats favoring Republicans.
The Texas Legislature attempted to meet Monday to consider a bill to redraw the state's congressional districts, but over the weekend did not return, needed to convene the session.
Gov. Greg Abbott has since vowed to take steps to remove those lawmakers from their seats, and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he had signed for the absent Democrats.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn said he has to "take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest potential lawbreakers who have fled the state."
In a press release, DNC Chair Martin said, "Instead of prioritizing disaster relief for flood victims, Texas Republicans are abusing their special legislative session to tilt the electoral map in their favor in a desperate attempt to cling to their razor-thin Congressional majority during midterms, after voting to cut health care and food benefits for millions of Texans."
And in Tuesday's news conference, that was the message to all Americans: Texas Republicans, Gov. Abbott and President Donald Trump are working to "cheat" to gain more votes, disenfranchise Black and Latino voters and violate voting rights, instead of caring for those who were affected by the devastating floods.
Gov. Pritzker, Martin and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Juliana Stratton all shared how they were proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Texas Democrats and called on all of America to stand up and get involved in the fight.
"Texas House Democrats are leading the way in choosing courage and country over politics and party," said Gov. Pritzker.
Texas Representatives Ramon Romero Jr., of Fort Worth, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, of San Antonio, Lizzie Fletcher, of Houston and Al Green, of Houston, all spoke on how they were defending all Americans in their fights against redistricting.
Gervin-Hawkins in particular called out Texas Republicans, too, asking them to stand up, be brave, and to vote "no" on the redistricting plan.
"It is time for you to love America again," Gervin Hawkins said about her Republican constituents.
And in reference to Gov. Abbott issuing arrest warrants for them, Romer Jr. said, "I'll pay that price for America."
The leaders of the state of Illinois vowed to continue to support Texas Democrats and protect them in their stand against Abbott and President Trump.
Abbott has ordered state troopers to help find and arrest the Democrats who left the state, but lawmakers physically outside Texas are beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.
"If you continue to go down this road, there will be consequences," House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows said from the chamber floor, later telling reporters that it includes fines.
Democrats' revolt and Abbott's threats intensified the fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but now includes Democratic governors, like Pritzker, who have pitched redrawing their district maps in retaliation — even if . The dispute also reflects President Trump's and his grip on the Republican Party nationally, while testing the long-standing balance of powers between the federal government and individual states.
The impasse centers on Mr. Trump's effort to get five more GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas, at Democrats' expense, . That would bolster his party's chances of preserving its fragile U.S. House majority, something Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Trump's first presidency. Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas' 38 seats. That's nearly a 2-to-1 advantage and already a wider partisan gap than the 2024 presidential results: Trump won 56.1% of Texas ballots, while Democrat Kamala Harris received 42.5%.
Mr. Trump said Tuesday that Republicans are "entitled to five more seats."
Texas legislators who left the state have declined to say how long they'll hold out.
"We recognized when we got on the plane that we're in this for the long haul," said Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer while in Illinois.
Texas House Democratic Caucus leader Gene Wu said members "will do whatever it takes" but added, "What that looks like, we don't know."
Legislative walkouts , like in 2021, when many Democrats left Texas to protest proposed voting restrictions. Once they returned, Republicans passed that measure.
Lawmakers cannot pass bills in the 150-member House without two-thirds of members present. Democrats hold 62 seats in the majority-Republican chamber, and at least 51 left the state, according to a Democratic aide.
The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders could "physically compel the attendance" of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state Republicans answered by adopting $500 daily fines for lawmakers who don't show.
Abbott, meanwhile, continues to make unsubstantiated claims that some lawmakers have committed felonies by soliciting money to pay for potential fines for leaving Texas during the session.
