GOP's House map overhaul: Texas Democrats flee state to block Trump's redistricting; tensions escalate

Time of India

3 days ago

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday issued a letter threatening that he would remove any Democrats from the House if they do not return to Austin to pass the GOP's proposed new congressional maps.
The Republican governor's late-night missive came after more than 50 Democrats left the state Sunday afternoon to prevent a vote on a new congressional map favouring Republicans.
In a letter, Governor said, "These absences are not merely unintended and unavoidable interruptions in public service, like a sudden illness or a family emergency. Instead, these absences were premeditated for an illegitimate purpose— what one representative called 'breaking quorum.'
Another previously signaled that Democrats 'would have to go by an extreme measure' of a quorum break 'to stop these bills from happening.
' In other words, 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."
"That amounts to an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office. When the Governor calls a Special Session, our Constitution provides that the 'Legislature shall meet.'
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TEX. CONST. art. III, § 5 (emphasis added). It's not optional. It's a duty... This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025.
For any member who fails to do so, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House," he added.
Why Democrats ran away?
Texas' Republican majority recently introduced redistricting plans, supported by President Donald Trump, which would establish five additional Republican-leaning seats in the US House of Representatives.
A vote requires two-thirds attendance of the 150-member Texas legislature. Fifty-one Democratic legislators have left, primarily to Illinois, preventing the required quorum, BBC reported.
They intend to remain absent for two weeks until the special legislative session, called by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, concludes.
The session aims to approve redistricting, provide disaster relief for recent Texas floods, and prohibit THC, marijuana's primary active component.
Each absent lawmaker faces potential daily fines of £380, whilst Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, has issued arrest threats.
On X, he advocated using "every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law".
"Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately," he wrote.
Texas Democrats issue statement, defending their actions
"We're not walking out on our responsibilities," stated Gene Wu, state legislator and Democratic caucus chairman.
"We're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent."
Whilst Democrats nationwide have suggested reciprocal actions, their options appear limited.
In Democrat-controlled redistricting states like Illinois, New Mexico and Nevada, they have engaged in similar gerrymandering practices.
Illinois' latest map received an F grade from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for political unfairness.
However, some Democrat-led states, including New York, California, Colorado and Washington, utilise non-partisan, independent commissions for redistricting rather than state legislatures.
Texas Republicans currently control 25 of 38 congressional seats. The new maps could increase their representation to 30 seats - all in districts Trump won by over 10 points last November.
Before next year's midterms, Texas' redistricting could strengthen the Republican majority in the US House, where they hold 219 seats to Democrats' 212.