Texas Gov. Abbott decries ‘runaway Democrats’ as redistricting standoff enters its second week
CNN
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Arlette Saenz, CNN
(CNN) — Democratic lawmakers in Texas once again thwarted the Republican redistricting effort in the state when the Texas House of Representatives failed to meet a quorum on Monday.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows reconvened the legislative chamber on Monday but was four members short of reaching the quorum to proceed to redistricting, flood relief and other issues. Dozens of Texas House Democrats remain out of the state as the standoff over redistricting enters its second week.
“Those runaway Democrats are required to act on that agenda. They’re failing to do their duty,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” on Monday. “They can remain in hiding for literally years, tying the hands of the state of Texas from performing essential government needs. That cannot be allowed.”
The state House failed to reach a quorum each time it met last week, escalating a burgeoning gerrymandering arms race that began when President Donald Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw districts. The effort, which would produce as many as five more US House seats for Republicans, could cushion the GOP against losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
Burrows said he asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to establish a tip line for the public to provide information about the whereabouts of absent House Democrats’ as the law enforcement agency continues its search for the members.
“We will keep following every credible lead until these members return,” Burrows said. “To those absent members, you can go to another city, another state, even another time zone, but you cannot escape your responsibility to the people of Texas. Eventually you will be here.”
The Texas House will reconvene Tuesday morning.
House Democrats still face a decision about how long to stay out of Texas without a clear endgame. And with just days left of the special legislative session, Republicans may not have enough time to pass the new maps, and Abbott may have no other choice but to call another.
“If he simply calls another special session to do things that are selfish, things that are for him, things for his buddies, that’s up to him,” state Rep. Gene Wu, who leads Democrats in the Texas House, said at a news conference Monday. “All we want him to do is actually listen to the people and do what they ask.”
Abbott told Tapper he is willing to call further special sessions even if they would take place after filing deadlines for the 2026 races.
“Even if we get to and beyond the filing deadline, we are still going to redraw these maps,” Abbott said. “If they think all they have to do is wait it out until November, December, they’re wrong. I’m going to do this for the next two years.”
Republicans have pushed on with efforts to work around the Democrats’ absence. Abbott has asked the state’s Supreme Court to declare vacant the seat of Wu, who fled to Chicago with other Democrats. Meanwhile, US Sen. John Cornyn said he has enlisted help from FBI Director Kash Patel to assist state law enforcement in tracking down the absent lawmakers.
Texas Democrats also face financial pressure to return. Absent lawmakers are subject to a fine of $500 per day, and they cannot use their campaign or official funds to cover the penalties. A Texas judge temporarily prohibited former gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke’s political group from fundraising to cover the lawmakers’ travel expenses last week.
Leaders of blue states have vowed to create Democratic-friendly seats in the US House in response to the GOP’s bid. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised a November referendum on new US House maps that could create as many as five Democratic-held seats. The proposed California maps will be released this week, according to State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.
Many Texas Democratic lawmakers remain camped out in Illinois as the caucus charts its next moves.
“This is not a vacation for them,” US Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said at a news conference in Chicago on Monday. “This is a very important assignment to tackle an issue which affects the whole country.”
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, vice chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said that she and her colleagues would “not be intimidated” amid the escalating pressure from state Republicans.
“Let me be perfectly clear: Texas Democrats are not running away from any fight,” she said. “We’re bringing the fight to the bad guys.”
State Rep. Rhetta Bowers echoed Plesa’s declarations of resolve, referencing a potential bomb threat the lawmakers in Chicago faced.
“Our hotel received a bomb threat caused by a direct provocation of our safety, after our location was made public in an attempt to intimidate and silence us that night,” she said.
She later added, “The same forces that tried to silence us in Texas are working overtime to roll back the voting rights all across the country.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Eric Bradner and David Wright contributed to this report.
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