Texas Democrats who fled the state in a last-ditch effort to prevent their Republican colleagues from carrying out a partisan, mid-decade redistricting effort say they are ready to return — provided several conditions are met.
First, they want the state House’s special session to end Friday as planned. Second, they insist California Democrats formally introduce a proposal to carry out their own partisan, mid-decade redistricting effort, a move that would potentially offset the gains made by Republicans in Texas who expect to gain five or more congressional seats through the controversial gerrymander.
“Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,” Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the state House Democratic caucus, said in a statement provided to multiple outlets Thursday.
Wu’s chief of staff did not immediately respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.
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Multiple outlets have reported that the Democrats are prepared to return to Texas sometime after the session ends Friday. Most opted to exit the state on Aug. 3, which denied Republicans the quorum required to pass a redistricted map.
If House Democrats return to Texas, though, it’s very likely the new congressional districts will become a reality.
ABC13 in Houston reported Tuesday that Democrats believed they’d accomplished their goal by ending the first special session. The House did not have a quorum this week, and the station reported that if no quorum was present on Friday, the session would end. At the same time, the Texas Senate successfully passed a redistricted map that would benefit Republicans, with enough of the chamber’s Democrats present to reach a quorum.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has criticized state House Democrats for stalling legislative business after severe flooding in the state killed more than 130 people.
“Know that the gears of government to improve the response to this disaster are being slowed down and denied because Democrats are not showing up and doing their job,” Abbott said in a Fox News interview Monday.
“Texans are angry about the Democrats who have fled the state,” Abbott said. “They’re going to face the music when they come back.”
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Abbott, told The Dallas Morning News in a statement Thursday that the Democrats “fundamentally” misunderstand the state’s residents if they think returning now will improve their standing.
“Texans don’t attach ‘demands’ to doing their jobs or run from a fight; they roll up their sleeves and get to work,” Mahaleris said. “If the Democrats were serious about delivering results for the Texans they abandoned, they would return to Austin immediately.”
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