Texas Democrats once more defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the state GOP and didn’t present up Friday for a vote on the controversial redistricting plan proposed by Republicans.
The GOP-proposed new congressional maps that may give Republicans extra seats in Congress — probably permitting the GOP to maintain management of the U.S. Home of Representatives in Washington.
Regardless of threats of arrest, shedding their pay and different threats, calls from the governor, nearly all of the Democrats didn’t seem for the particular session when it began at 2 p.m. ET and no quorum was reached.
U.S. Congressional District maps are displayed because the Senate Particular Committee on Congressional Redistricting meets to listen to invited testimony on Congressional plan C2308 on the Texas State Capitol on August 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Pictures
Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu, the Texas Home minority chief, earlier advised ABC Information Thursday that he believes his caucus would maintain out on Friday and as soon as once more deny the legislature a quorum, although he mentioned they might be keen to return again to Austin if state Republicans promise to focus solely on different points earlier than the particular session, together with flood mitigation and catastrophe preparedness.
Democrats who’ve fled the state seem more likely to keep away till Aug. 19, the top of the particular session.
The defiance befell as Abbott has additionally requested the Texas Supreme Courtroom to take away Wu from workplace. The court docket gave Wu till 6 p.m. ET Friday to answer the governor’s case.
Texas Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton advised Fox Information on Friday that he’s keen to take different Democrats to court docket if they do not return.
“In the event that they present up at the moment, we’re all blissful, we will get our enterprise carried out, and all people is sweet. If they don’t present up, we might be in an Illinois courtroom … (making an attempt) to get them again to the state of Texas, maintain them in contempt, and in the event that they refuse to return, hopefully put them in jail,” he mentioned.
He shrugged off issues that the optics of arresting Democrats would give them a public opinion win.
“I believe in Texas — I do not know what it is like in different states, however I do know in Texas, folks anticipate their representatives to go to work,” Paxton mentioned.
Texas Home Speaker Dustin Burrows focused the wallets of the absent members in an effort to attract them again.
On Thursday, he despatched a memo to all members and their workers requiring that any member who’s absent from the particular session to interrupt quorum should acquire their month-to-month examine in particular person. Direct deposits have been suspended for these skipping out till the Home reaches quorum, in accordance with memo.
Abbott has referred to as for the Democrats’ arrest, and Republican Sen. John Cornyn has referred to as on the FBI to trace down these elected officers.
The governor mentioned in a podcast launched Friday that he was keen to go additional than creating greater than 5 new seats the GOP may flip if the Democrats continued to dam.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks throughout a roundtable dialogue with President Donald Trump, first responders and native officers at Hill Nation Youth Occasion Middle in Kerrville, Texas, throughout a tour to look at flood injury, July 11, 2025.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
“We might make it six or seven or eight new seats we’ll be including on the Republican aspect,” he mentioned throughout an interview on the podcast “Ruthless.”
Within the meantime, the Texas Democrats have fled to varied blue states, together with Illinois and California.
Texas Rep. Gene Wu speaks in entrance of Democratic members of Congress and Texas Home Democrats throughout a information convention, August 4, 2025 in Warrenville, Illinois.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP through Getty Pictures
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is slated to carry a information convention with these Democrats Friday afternoon, together with Rep. Nancy Pelosi and California state Democrats to point out their assist.
“The governor and state leaders have floated a possible statewide poll measure that may reaffirm California’s dedication to nationwide impartial redistricting and permit voters to briefly modify the state’s congressional map provided that Texas or different GOP-led states manipulate theirs,” Newsom’s workplace mentioned in an announcement.
California Democrats are making ready to answer Texas Republicans’ proposed new congressional districts by presumably concentrating on 5 GOP-held districts within the Golden State, sources just lately confirmed to ABC station KGO-TV. However the workplace of the California Secretary of State advised ABC Information that if legislators do not transfer quick, it turns into almost unattainable for the state to run a statewide election that meets federal requirements.
ABC station KGO-TV’s Monica Madden contributed to this report.
