Congressional Candidate, 27, Forcibly Removed from Hearing and Arrested After Criticizing Texas Republicans: 'I'm Not Finished!'
A congressional candidate was forcibly removed from a hearing at the Texas State Capitol and arrested this week, after going over an apparent two-minute time limit to speak as he delivered a statement in opposition to Texas Republicans' redistricting efforts.
Congressional District 18 candidate Isaiah Martin, 27, attended a hearing held by the Texas House Congressional Redistricting Committee on Thursday, July 24, when he offered his thoughts on the redistricting efforts in question, calling it 'illegal gerrymandering."
According to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, Gov. Greg Abbott added discussion of a proposed redrawing of congressional districts to the agenda following pressure from the Trump administration. Per The Hill, the redrawing of the state's maps could give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterms, as KVUE reported the state's constitution allows the maps to be redrawn at the discretion of both the governor and the Legislature — although it is rare to be done mid-decade.
"Many of you that are Republicans, and I'm looking at you, you understand the game. You gotta get Trump's endorsement," Martin said at the beginning of his remarks, before his arrest. "That's the name of the game to be a Republican nowadays. And you know very clearly that Trump told every single one of you that he needs five seats."
After he continued past an apparent allotted two-minute speaking time, Rep. Cody Vasut asked the sergeant-at-arms to remove Martin from the hearing.
Footage from the scene, which was later shared by Martin's campaign on X, shows the candidate telling Republicans they have "no shame" as his microphone is removed from him.
Martin then told the committee that "history might not remember you at all," as two men began to pull him out of the state capitol — with one man appearing to restrain Martin by lying on top of him.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) later confirmed, per KVUE and CBS Austin, that Martin was charged with disrupting a meeting, resisting arrest and criminal trespassing.
His arrest took place around 7 p.m. local time, and he was later booked in Travis County Jail. His charges were dropped, per CBS Austin and an update that was shared on Martin's social media.
A DPS spokesperson told KVUE that the arrest took place after Martin "refused to obey requests from committee members and subsequent orders from DPS to leave a committee hearing at the Texas State Capitol."
The DPS did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for confirmation on July 25. Per KVUE, Martin spent over 24 hours in jail.
Martin's brother confirmed in a statement on X that "all charges" against him had been dropped, before Martin shared in a message of his own hours later that he was put in custody for a day because Republicans "were mad I had the AUDACITY to call them cowards to their faces."
"They did this because I had the audacity to speak up, and you know what? I'm gonna continue to have that audacity," he said. "Because strongly worded letters won't get us out of this mess. It takes speaking truth to power no matter what the consequences are."
Speaking with CBS Austin following his release, Martin reiterated that he would "do it again for the people of Texas."
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