Texas Democrats flee state amid heated redistricting battle. Has this happened before?
WASHINGTON - A president jumping out of a window, a senator carried feet-first from their office, and state legislators moving into an out-of-state hotel: For as long as Americans have been legislating, they've been fleeing from legislatures to prevent votes from happening.
Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State on Aug. 3 in an attempt to block a redistricting that would give Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives up to five more seats in the 2026 midterms.
The Democrats dispersed to friendly blue states: Many traveled to the Chicago area in Illinois, greeted by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, while other groups landed in Boston, Massachusetts and Albany, New York.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to expel any Democrat who was not back in Austin by the time the legislature reconvened Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. CT. Republicans need what is called a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed to be present on the floor to carry out business.
But the tactic of fleeing to deny quorum is one that’s been used by both parties since the 1800s. Some lawmakers have hid out in their offices, while others have fled their state to avoid being compelled to show up to vote, as is the case with Texas Democrats.
These are some of the most prominent examples from history.
1840: Abraham Lincoln jumps out of a first-floor window
Before Abraham Lincoln served as president, he was a member of the Illinois state legislature from 1834 to 1842. He once jumped out of a first-floor window to try to prevent a quorum on a vote to shut down a state-run bank in 1840, according to The New York Times.
Lincoln, a member of the Whig Party at the time, was an advocate of the state-run bank while his Democratic colleagues were not, the Times reported.
Samuel Wheeler, who is the llinois state historian, told the Times that Lincoln had already been marked present for the quorum, making his effort pointless. “It’s not an episode that he’s very proud of later,” Wheeler said.
1988: Bob Packwood carried into the chamber
Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood, a Republican, tried to avoid a quorum call in February 1988 amid opposition to a Democratic-driven campaign finance reform bill, according to the U.S. Senate. He hid in his office until Capitol police later found him.
The New York Times reported that Packwood had placed a chair against one door to prevent the officers from forcing it open. “It was their mass against my mass,” he said at the time.
The officers entered Packwood’s office through another door, and they “transported him feet-first into the Chamber,” the U.S. Senate website says.
2003: Texas Democrats protest redistricting effort
Texas Democrats fled the state in 2003 to break quorum over Republican redistricting efforts. House Democrats went to Oklahoma until the regular session of the legislature ended, the Texas Tribune reported.
Eleven Democratic state senators went to New Mexico after former Gov. Rick Perry called a special session, according to the Tribune. Then Democratic Sen. John Whitmire returned to Texas, officially allowing Republicans to advance with their redistricting plans after reaching a quorum.
2011: Wisconsin Democrats challenge anti-union bill
Wisconsin Democrats fled their state in February 2011 in an attempt to block a budget-repair bill that would curtail collective bargaining rights from public employee unions, though the bill still ended up passing, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The lawmakers went to Illinois, but stayed at different places due to security concerns.
When they returned in March, nearly 70,000 trade union and Democratic supporters greeted them at Capitol Square, according to The Guardian.
2011: Indiana Democrats flee to Comfort Suites in Illinois
Indiana Democrats fled their state 14 years ago to halt legislative business and challenge the passage of a controversial anti-union legislation, The Daily Illini reported.
They headed to the Comfort Suites hotel in Urbana, Illinois, on Feb. 22 that year and didn’t return to their home state until March 28, the paper reported. Their bill total came out to be over $84,000 dollars.
“It was a very difficult decision - very difficult - and it got more difficult every day,” State Representative Ed DeLaney, who fled with his colleagues, told The New York Times in an interview. “You only have so much ammunition, and this is a way to spend an awful lot of your ammunition on one point, and draw a lot of criticism in the process.”
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Paste BN