Texas Democrats saddle up to prevent GOP gerrymander

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Texas House Democrats fled the state on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to prevent Republicans from passing a gerrymandered Congressional map designed to deliver up to five additional seats for the GOP.

The House was scheduled to vote on the redrawn maps on Monday, but with more than 50 Democrats out of state, there are no longer enough lawmakers left in Austin to complete the quorum required to move legislation. Many of the Democrats absconded for Illinois, where they will be hosted by Gov. JB Pritzker.

“We’re not walking out on our responsibilities; we’re walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent,” House Democratic Caucus chair Gene Wu said in a statement. “As of today, this corrupt special session is over.”

Considered a potential presidential candidate, Pritzker’s gambit pits him directly against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump, who ordered the new map in hopes of retaining Congress during the midterm elections. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another 2028 contender, is working to redraw his state’s Congressional map to create more Democratic seats, though there are legal questions around his plan.

Missing Democratic lawmakers will each be fined $500 for every day they are outside the state. Those fines come courtesy of a law passed by Republicans after Democrats also fled in 2021 to temporarily block an extreme voter suppression bill. Because the Texas legislature is a part time job, many lawmakers may be unable to work, and most of them will be away from their families.

The legislature is currently in the midst of a special session called by Abbott last month, ostensibly to address the deadly flooding in Hill Country. Instead, the gerrymandering has been the GOP’s top priority, a head fake that has drawn outrage from many Texans. Opponents of gerrymandering have filled forums across the state to denounce the maps, to no avail.

Republicans have threatened to arrest the lawmakers, though breaking quorum is not a crime. Nonetheless, this move escalates what is essentially a constitutional standoff between the two parties.

People are finding and donating to an ActBlue page I set up to support the fleeing lawmakers in 2021, so I’ve updated it so that donations go to Democrats who just left the state.

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