Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain told Newsmax on Wednesday that Democrats' latest walkout from the Texas Capitol has backfired, leaving Republicans more unified than at any point in the current legislative session.
In an appearance on Newsmax's "National Report," Cain responded to a Houston Chronicle editorial that argued Texas Democrats unintentionally handed Republicans a political advantage by breaking quorum and fleeing the state.
Cain noted that state Democrats last walked out in 2021, when they left for Washington, D.C., in an effort to stall Republican-backed legislation. That effort fizzled, and Cain said many lawmakers still remember the episode vividly.
"So the last time (Texas Democrats) broke quorum was in 2021," Cain recalled. "They went off to D.C. and then really nothing happened. We kind of slapped them on the wrist; we changed some rules in hopes that it would never happen again. But it happened again."
According to Cain, Republicans are "even more irritated now," pointing to the fact that many lawmakers have been forced away from their families while their Democrat colleagues left the state for two weeks, just returning Monday.
Cain said the Democrats' move was not only futile but has also erased divisions within the Republican caucus.
"You can imagine that the Republican majority is very irritated, but also ... (the Democrats) messed up — they've united the Republican caucus," Cain told Newsmax.
He emphasized that while there had been some division in the chamber — noting that Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows had been elected with support from a majority of Democrats — the standoff has erased those internal tensions.
"That divide has now been lifted," Cain said. "Republicans are pissed off and Democrats are in real trouble."
Cain said Texas House Republicans are ready to move swiftly on passing the redistricting legislation that has been waylaid by the Democrats' exodus.
"I'd expect today that that bill will be passed to third reading," Cain told "National Report." "In fact, I hope we shove it down their throats sooner than later. Get rid of the debate and let's get it passed."
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