Texas Democrats unveil new plan to pressure Republicans amid redistricting fight.
Last week, Democrats fled to Illinois to prevent Republicans from voting on a new congressional redistricting map.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott threatened the absent Democrats with arrest and removal from office if they didn’t return to the Capitol.
Texas Democrats will reportedly return to the Capitol for Governor Abbott’s second special session to vote on the GOP’s redistricting effort, but the timing is unclear as they are now making new demands.
According to the Associated Press, Texas Democrats won’t return home unless “Texas Republicans end the special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal.”
As reported by the Associated Press:
Texas Democrats on Thursday moved closer to ending a nearly two-week walkout that has blocked the GOP’s redrawing of U.S. House maps before the 2026 election and put them under escalating threats by Republicans back home.
The Democrats announced they will return so long as Texas Republicans end a special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal, both of which were expected to happen Friday.
Democrats did not say what day they might return.
On Wednesday, an Illinois judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to enforce arrest warrants against absent state House Democrats.
Judge Scott Larson said Paxton failed to “present a legal basis for the court to obtain subject matter jurisdiction over this cause of action…”
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