Texas Democrats flee state in bid to block redrawn congressional map

Telegraph

3 days ago

A group of Democrats has fled Texas as part of an attempt to block a Donald Trump-backed redistricting plan that could reshape the balance of power in Washington.
Lawmakers were seen boarding chartered planes on Sunday evening as they sought to deny the Texas House of Representatives the quorum required to vote on a redrawn congressional map that could create an additional five Republican-leaning seats.
Gene Wu, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said the members were 'walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent'.
'As of today, this corrupt special session is over,' Mr Wu said.
Republicans hold 25 of Texas's 38 seats in the US House, and the president has demanded 'a simple redrawing' of congressional lines to create more GOP-friendly districts.
'There could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one,' Mr Trump said in July.
'Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.'
Redistributing typically takes place every 10 years to account for population changes documented in the census, so redrawing the districts mid-decade is considered unusual.
The Texas House was due to debate the new map on Monday – but to conduct official business, at least 100 of the 150 members must be present in the chamber. Democrats hold 62 of the seats, which means Republicans would not have the numbers to proceed with redrawing the map while the group of objecting members is out of the state.
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.
Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.
We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 3, 2025
The Democrats face fines of $500 each for every day they break a quorum, and under new state laws they are not allowed to use party funding to pay. Anticipating the walkout, the members have been fundraising to cover costs.
On Sunday evening, they posted photographs and videos to social media confirming they were flying interstate.
'We didn't start this fight – Donald Trump started it,' said Democrat Representative Ramon Romero Jr in a video posted to X.
'He asked the Texas legislature to get rid of your voice.'
My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he'll have to come through us.
It's time to fight back. pic.twitter.com/xOshwmy2eA
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) August 3, 2025
Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus said 'apathy is complicity, and we will not be complicit in the silencing of hard-working communities who have spent decades fighting for the power that Trump wants to steal.'
In a video posted from an airport, Democratic Representative James Talarico accused Republicans of a 'power grab' and claimed the plan would manipulate electoral boundaries to gain political control.
'If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab,' Mr Talarico said in the video posted on X on Sunday.
'They're turning our districts into crazy shapes to guarantee the outcome they want in the 2026 elections
'But Texas Democrats are fighting back. [We're] preventing Republicans from silencing our voices and rigging the next election.'
Texans deserve better! I won't help pass a racist map drawn by Donald Trump and Washington D.C. to silence the voices of Texans. #txlege #redistricting pic.twitter.com/BjLe6BTpqL
— Rep Ramón (@RepRamonRomero) August 3, 2025
This is not the first time Texas Democrats have used this tactic. In 2003, they left the state in an attempt to stop a Republican-led redistricting plan.
In 2021, they staged a 38-day walkout by fleeing to Washington, DC, in protest against new GOP-backed voting restrictions.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Illinois have suggested that they could fight back against Texas Republicans by pushing to have their blue state's congressional maps redrawn.
The tit-for-tat tactics may be limited, however, given many Democrat-led states use independent commissions to draw district boundaries.
These commissions were designed to make redistricting fairer but they also limit the ability to fight back when Republicans use their legislative power to redraw maps in their favour.