Campaigns
Democrats deny quorum as Republicans seek to boost GOP in redistricting
Posted August 4, 2025 at 5:50am
Democratic members of the Texas state legislature left the state Sunday as part of a bid to block Republicans from redrawing the congressional map to make five additional seats favorable to the GOP.
The move to leave the state and deny a quorum drew cheers from Texas Democrats in Congress, including those at risk of having their districts carved up or being thrust into primaries against fellow members.
“This isn’t just about the five seats in Texas. This is about a power grab,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said on MSNBC. “It is about basically setting the tone for what Donald Trump will try to do throughout this country, so that he can suppress the voices of Black and brown folk just so that he can stay in power.”
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, who could find himself in the same district as fellow Democratic Rep. Greg Casar under the Republican-drawn map, posted on X that that Democrats should encourage “defiance” of the Texas Democratic state legislators.
“Trump is trying to steal next year’s Congressional election by rigging it this year,” Doggett posted. “His extraordinary scheme to undermine our democracy demands an extraordinary response, like that of our Texas state legislators have underway.”
On the Republican side, state attorney general Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate in a primary against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Sunday 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.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, announced in a statement Sunday that he would construe the absences by Texas Democrats as “abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office” and that he would seek to remove them if they are not at the state Capitol on Monday afternoon.
“In addition to abandoning their offices, these legislators may also have committed felonies. Many absentee Democrats are soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules,” Abbott said, adding that he would seek to extradite the Democrats.
Cornyn said he was supportive of the governor’s actions.
“51 Texas House Democrats are engaging in a selfish dereliction of duty preventing state business. I support any and all measures taken by Governor Abbott and state leaders to end this charade,” Cornyn posted on X.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, met with Texas legislators who left the Lone Star State for Illinois on Sunday and pledged support for their effort to break quorum and stop the new maps from being implemented.
“They’re here in Illinois. We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them,” Pritzker said. “It’s the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law. They’re the ones that need to be held accountable.”
The effort to redraw congressional maps in Texas could set off a domino effect, with Illinois and other states also considering action. President Donald Trump has backed creating more Republican-favored seats in Texas.
Recent Stories