Over 50 Texas House of Representatives Democrats left the state to prevent their Republican colleagues from voting on a revised congressional district map, potentially granting Republicans five new congressional seats.
Fleeing Democrats included state Reps. John Bucy III, Ann Johnson, Rhetta Bowers, Rafael Anchía, James Talarico, Ramon Romero Jr., Suleman Lalani, and Mihaela Plesa. More than 50 Democrats reportedly left Texas for Illinois or New York to stop the Texas House from achieving the quorum necessary to vote on the new congressional district map, as reported by CBS News.
In a video posted to X, Bucy explained his participation in the quorum break to prevent Donald Trump from “stealing the election.” He emphasized he wouldn’t remain passive while President Trump damages the U.S. and its Constitution and indicated his presence in Chicago.
Bucy stated, “Trump and Governor Abbott are colluding to manipulate Texas’s congressional map, crafting five GOP seats to seize a Congress majority post-2026 midterms. I refuse to be passive while the president undermines our country, Constitution, and democracy. That’s my reason for being in Chicago, engaging Governor Pritzker to ensure fair representation for Texans.”
Johnson remarked, “If we disrupt the quorum, the next move is Governor Abbott’s. Whom do you serve? The Texas people, and will you summon us back for their pressing matters? Or compel our return for President Trump’s agenda? We’ll soon see.”
At a Chicago press conference, Romero asserted that Democrats were “standing tall,” affirming despite warnings of arrest or fines, he was ready to “pay that price for America.”
“Right now, there’s folks saying that we walked out, and I think everyone behind me will say, ‘We’re standing up,’ and as Texans would say, ‘We’re standing tall,’” Romero said. “There’s others that are saying and warning us that they’re going to arrest us or make us pay fines — I’ll pay that price for America. And, I think everyone behind me would say they would do the same.”
When asked during an interview why he and other Texas House Democrats had left the state, Lalani pointed out that Texas families were “burying their loved ones” in the aftermath of the devastating flooding that ravaged the Texas Hill Country and left more than 130 Texans dead.
“The only thing we should be discussing now should be flood relief, emergency management, rebuilding, but instead we are talking about redistricting, which is racially gerrymandered,” Lalani said. Lalani added that redistricting was taking “representation out from the minorities” and that was why they were out of the state.
– News previously reported that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the arrest of the Texas House Democrats after they “failed to return to the Capitol as ordered on Sunday.” Abbott accused the Democrats of having “abandoned their duty to Texans.”
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans,” said Governor Abbott. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislations to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”
On Tuesday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) issued a letter addressed to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, requesting that the FBI work with Texas law enforcement to locate and arrest Texas House Democrats who fled the state.
“Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,” Paxton said. “Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office.”
Abbott was also reported to have filed a lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court to remove state Rep. Gene Wu, as the more than 50 Texas Democrats remain out of state, according to KHOU11 News. The governor has labeled Wu the “ringleader of the derelict Democrats.”
In response to Abbott’s lawsuit, Wu accused the governor of having “failed the people of Texas” and of “using the courts to punish those who refused to fail” with him.
“My purpose has been clear from the start: to serve my constituents and fight for what’s right, no matter the cost,” Wu added. “You will find that my commitment to the people of Texas is unbreakable.”
