Texas issues arrest warrants for Democrats who fled state to avoid districts vote
More than 50 Democratic lawmakers boarded chartered planes on Sunday as they sought to deny the Texas House of Representatives the quorum required to vote on the redrawn congressional map, which could create an additional five Republican seats.
On Monday, the Texas House voted 85-6 to track down and arrest those lawmakers not present in the chamber, after which House Speaker Dustin Burrows signed civil warrants for each of the legislators, empowering state troopers to bring them to the state Capitol.
The warrants apply only within state lines, making them largely symbolic. However, they mark the latest escalation in a stand-off between Democrats and Republicans in the battle over redistricting that is likely to grow increasingly fraught in the lead up to next year's midterm elections.
Earlier on Monday, Kathy Hochul, the New York governor, said the US president and his 'coconspirator', Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, had left the party no choice but to 'fight fire with fire'.
Pulling the trigger on the plans, Ms Hochul said: 'This is a war. We are at war. And that's why the gloves are off and I say, bring it on.'
Some of the 57 Democrats missing from the state legislature on Monday fled to New York, where they met with Ms Hochul, while others travelled to Illinois, where they are being supported by JB Pritzker.
Speaking at a press conference in Albany on Monday, Ms Hochul said: 'If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they're leaving us no choice: we must do the same.
'There's a phrase, you have to fight fire with fire, that is a true statement of how we're feeling right now.
'And I've said, another overused but applicable phrase, all's fair in love and war. That's why I'm exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional line as soon as possible.'
She added: 'We're already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies and will do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault.'
The Democrats, whom Ms Hochul described as 'brave patriots', face a $500 (£377) fine for every day they break a quorum, and under new state laws they are not allowed to use party funding to pay. Members began fundraising to cover costs ahead of the walkout.
Texas has 38 seats in the House. The Republican party occupies 25 of those seats, and Democrats 12, with one seat vacant following the death of Sylvester Turner in March.
The delegation of Texas lawmakers who travelled to New York did not disclose where they would be travelling next, but said they would not be returning to Texas.
Mr Abbott threatened to 'remove' the fleeing Democrats from membership in the Texas House and suggested those who fundraised or accepted donations to cover costs incurred by the stunt could be charged with felonies.
Several Texas Democrats and their allies, sheltering with Mr Pritzker in Chicago, told Politico they feared Mr Trump could mobilise the Illinois National Guard to return them to Texas.
Democrats running away 'like cowards'
Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, threatened to have the fleeing lawmakers arrested.
'Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,' Mr Paxton wrote on X.
Ms Hochul said she had hosted the Texas Democrats at the governor's residence, where she fed them and took them to visit a home that Franklin D Roosevelt once lived in 'for inspiration'.
'Donald Trump came up with this scheme, perhaps with the help of AI, I don't know', Ms Hocul said, before claiming that the Republicans had redrawn the congressional map on 'racist lines' to disenfranchise Texans.
She added: 'What Texas and Republican states are doing at the direction of Donald Trump, I say, is nothing short of a legal insurrection against our Capitol.'
Mihaela Plesa, a Texas State representative who was among those to travel to New York, told reporters: 'The playing field has changed, not just for Democrats, but all Americans, and it's time to meet them on the new field.'
Addressing the press conference on Monday, Jolanda Jones, a Texas state representative, suggested a committee in charge of redistricting had held 'sham' meetings about redrawing the map.
She said: 'My constituents demanded that I be here, so you think I'm going to listen to Donald Trump and Greg Abbott... and the attorney general who can't treat his wife right and lies on documentation? So I think he needs to worry about going to jail.'
While the Democrats spoke of the need to fight back against the Republican redistricting plan, such a move is limited by the state's constraints.
While the Texas redistricting plan could see new boundaries put in place by 2026, potential New York changes would take years.
The rules of redistricting can be vague and variable – each state has its own set of rules and procedures. Politicians are gauging what voters will tolerate when it comes to politically motivated mapmaking.
Texas and New York are not the only states seeking to redraw congressional lines.
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said he was 'very seriously' looking to redraw the state's map, claiming the 2020 US census was flawed.
Ms Hochul said the changes being explored for New York would involve amending the state's constitution.
Redistricting usually happens after the once-a-decade population count by the US Census Bureau or in response to a court ruling.
A plan being explored by New York democrats in anticipation of the Texas plan could see residents vote on changes to conduct mid-decade restructuring in the autumn of 2027, and they could be put in place in time for the 2028 election.
The New York bill would also only be applicable if another state engaged in mid-decade redistricting.
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