Texas House Democrats who left their state last week during a standoff over passing a Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan that would add five new GOP-leaning seats to the state say they plan to stay away until at least Aug. 19, the end of the special legislative session.
Most of the lawmakers are staying in St. Charles, Ill., a Chicago suburb, and by fleeing the state, they denied the House a quorum and halted legislative business, including the vote on the gerrymandering plan, reports The Texas Tribune Friday.
They are facing $500-per-day fines, threats of arrest, and potential removal from committee leadership roles, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has the authority to call for repeated sessions until the measure passes.
Democrat leaders argue the mid-decade redistricting effort unfairly targets minority communities and dismantles the party's existing districts in a ploy to retain the GOP House majority heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
"This kind of defiance is necessary to make people aware of what's happening," said State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer," D-San Antonio. "We're sounding the alarm on threats to our democracy."
The protest mirrors a similar move from 2021, when Democrats staged a walkout to delay a GOP-backed voting restrictions bill. Republicans eventually passed that legislation, but Democrats said the effort helped bring national attention to voting rights and remove some of the bill's more controversial provisions.
This time, the stakes are broader. Democrats claim the Texas map could become a national model for Republican-controlled states to maximize partisan advantage through redistricting, and the walkout has led to support from party leaders in California, Illinois, New York, and other states.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly pledged to respond by expanding Democratic-leaning districts in his state, and party lawmakers in New York and Maryland are considering similar measures, creating the possibility of a national redistricting conflict ahead of the 2026 elections.
"We're not going to unilaterally disarm," said Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth. "Democrats are ready to meet this moment with the seriousness it deserves."
Some of the Texas Democrats also argue the plan undermines minority voting power, potentially violating federal protections.
"The goal isn't just five more congressional seats," said Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., D-Fort Worth. "It's to make people believe their vote doesn't matter. That's what we're fighting against."
In addition to their presence in Illinois, some Texas Democrats have traveled to Boston and Albany to coordinate with party leaders and attend events marking the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, said he gave 25 interviews in the first day of the protest. "Our message is reaching millions," he said. "We hope this sparks action beyond Texas."
Meanwhile, Republican leaders are accusing Democrats of shirking their duties because they don't have the votes to stop the legislation.
They also mocked the Democrat lawmakers for seeking refuge in Illinois, a state heavily gerrymandered to favor Democrats.
But the lawmakers are saying they are acting in line with their constitutional duty to represent the interests of their constituents.
"This isn't something we did lightly," said Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio. "But when the integrity of our democracy is on the line, we have a responsibility to act."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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