Texas Democrats flee to the suburbs to block Trump-backed redistricting
Democratic Texas state lawmakers fled Austin for the Chicago suburbs Sunday to block a controversial redistricting plan that likely would hand Republicans more seats in Congress.
The walkout, Democrats say, will prevent the Texas House from having the quorum needed to pass the Republican proposal that could flip as many as five of the state’s 38 U.S. House seats to the GOP.
Members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker discussed the walkout Sunday night during a news conference at the Democratic Party of DuPage County offices in Carol Stream.
“We came here today with absolute moral clarity that this is the right thing to do to protect the people of Texas,” Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu said.
Urged by President Donald Trump as a means to maintain the Republican majority in the U.S. House, the proposed redistricting plan is being addressed during a special legislative session also called to address the July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people and caused billions of dollars in damages.
Wu accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of using the tragedy to seize political power for Trump and the GOP through a “racist, gerrymandered map.”
“We’re not here to play political games,” he said. “We’re here to demand an end to this corrupt process.”
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday from The Associated Press.
However, Republican Speaker Dustin Burrows said the Texas House would meet Monday afternoon as planned.
“If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table …,” he posted on X.
The walkout is not without risk for the Texas Democrats. Lawmakers can be fined up to $500 a day for breaking a quorum, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest representatives who leave the state to block a vote.
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” Paxton posted Sunday afternoon on X. “We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
Pritzker praised the Texan lawmakers, saying the entire country should be grateful for their actions.
“They’re attempting to cheat. I think we all know Donald Trump is a cheater,” he said. “The cheating here is trying to redraw the map mid-decade because he knows he’s very likely to lose the House next year.”
The Texas redistricting proposal has led states with Democratic majorities — including California, New York and Illinois — to threaten similar action to even the scales.
• Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.