Jasmine Crockett Salutes 'Aggressive' Texas Dems' Strategy
Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett is praising her fellow Democratic lawmakers for departing the state to thwart Republicans hell-bent on redistricting Texas' congressional maps on Sunday (Aug. 3). At a MoveOn political advocacy event held in Phoenix, Arizona, Crockett spoke about how she was 'so inspired' by the 51 lawmakers' move to leave Texas for other states such as Illinois and New York.
'Right before I got over here, my former colleagues from the Texas House, those Texas Democrats, decided to get the hell out of Texas,' Crockett said at the event. 'They decided to use whatever tools they could and breaking quorum is where they are at right now. And they didn't just do it by themselves. They went to Illinois where there is a governor that gives a damn. You see, this fight is going to take all of us.'
The Republicans currently have a slim majority in the House of Representatives, and the Republicans in the 150-member state legislature of Texas unveiled a new map created at the behest of President Donald Trump last week, which would give the GOP five more seats in the House. The move is seen as a way to retain power as midterm elections approach next year – the new map means Crockett would not have a district to represent.
'I'm aggressive,' Crockett continued, detailing how necessary the move was in her eyes. 'So for me, I don't serve in the Senate but I would get rid of the filibuster if it means that we can [fight] for voting rights because we don't get rights to healthcare. We don't get rights to education. We don't get any other rights if we don't have the ability to access the ballot box. So those are the things that I would do. I would get aggressive on the Supreme Court and I would get aggressive about making sure that we equalize this thing so that we can all access the ballot box.'
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened Democratic lawmakers that they have until 3 p.m. on Monday (Aug. 4) to return to the state, or he would attempt to remove them from office. The lawmakers also face a daily $500 fine and arrest, as state Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to 'use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.' The Texas Democrats issued a statement, as reported by HuffPost Deputy Editor Philip Lewis, replying: 'Come and take it.'
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"You know, we've been able to keep all that Washington, D.C. stuff out of here," he said. Yet Hall quickly proceeded to use his speakership to bring Trump's policy fights to the Michigan House. Republicans have passed resolutions, which were nonbinding, supporting the president's efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, encourage county sheriffs and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and ban transgender girls from competing on girls' sports teams in Michigan. Hall has modeled his quest to slash state government spending after former Trump aide Elon Musk's cost-cutting "Department of Government Efficiency." Michigan's U.S. Senate race: Who's winning — and losing — the fundraising sweepstakes While Hall has reshaped policymaking in Lansing, he has also brought a cutting communication style to the Capitol. He has said one Democratic lawmaker — state Rep. Mai Xiong, of Warren — has a low IQ for calling out Hall for being away from Lansing when he was in Macomb County with Trump for his announcement of a new fighter jet mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Xiong condemned Hall's comment as evidence that he seems more intent on bullying than working together to solve Michigan's challenges. Hall's regular and lengthy news conferences as House speaker, in which he blasts Democrats one minute and then outlines why they should support his policy demands in the next, have become a fixture in the Michigan Capitol. During them, he has advocated for new mandates for state employees to work in-person and a permanent cut to Michigan's income tax. He has also used the forum to take a victory lap, once displaying a photo of him and Whitmer at the Oval Office with Trump in April. In a July statement, Whitmer said she has been consistent in her willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to deliver results for Michigan. "That's no different this term. We have a productive relationship and I appreciate Speaker Hall's willingness to work together," she said. Michigan's economy: Gretchen Whitmer? Donald Trump? We all lose in semiconductor plant blame bingo. | Opinion John Sellek, chief strategist and CEO of Lansing-based public relations and affairs firm Harbor Strategic, said Hall has set the terms of debate in the Capitol and shown he won't shy away from sharing his conversations with other legislative leaders, publicly to praise or pressure them. Sellek and Hall both worked for Schuette when he was attorney general. Sellek tied Hall's approach back to his path to the state House. "He is not somebody who very carefully ran for school board and then ran for city council and then ran for House. He actually moved and challenged a sitting representative and beat him," Sellek said. "And he carries that same swagger and fearlessness into what he's doing now." Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@ or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Republican Matt Hall's path to Michigan House Speaker
