Texas Democrats seek to block redistricting vote by leaving state
WASHINGTON − Democratic lawmakers in Texas said they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move sought to protect the Republicans' narrow House majority in next year's midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, and three Democratic-held seats are vacant after members' deaths.
In a video shot in front of an airport, Democratic Rep. James Talarico said the redistricting plan amounted to "rigging" the 2026 elections.
"If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab," Talarico said in a video posted on X.
Several other Texas Democrats said on X they were headed to Illinois, whose governor is Democrat J.B. Pritzker. A smaller contingent also traveled to Albany, New York, and Boston.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has threatened the more than 50 liberal lawmakers with expulsion from the state House, if they do not return to Austin by 3 p.m. CT Aug. 4.
"Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber's business," Abbott wrote in a letter Aug. 3. "That amounts to an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office."
Abbott, a former Texas attorney general, added that the representatives "may also have committed felonies."
Texas House Democrats responded to the governor with a four-word statement: "Come and take it."
States are required to redistrict every 10 years based on the U.S. Census, but the Texas map was passed just four years ago by the Republican-dominated legislature. While mid-cycle redistricting occasionally takes place, it is usually prompted by a change in power at the legislature.
Republicans have pursued redistricting in a special legislative session that will also address funding for flood prevention in the wake of the deadly July 4 flash flooding that killed more than 130.
The Republican State Leadership Committee accused the absent legislators of "neglecting their responsibility" in office.
"Texas Democrats need to return home immediately, stop wasting taxpayer money on their media tour, and work collaboratively with Republicans in Austin to advance the future of Texas," Communications Director Mason Di Palma said in a statement.
Under current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56% to 42% margin.
Redistricting experts have said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map.
Contributing: Alexandra Ulmer, Sandra Maler, Reuters