Texas Democrats are deliberating on their next course of action a week into their ongoing strike
Texas Democrats Flee State to Block Controversial Redistricting Map
Texas Democratic lawmakers have left the state to prevent Republicans from pushing through a new congressional map, a move that has temporarily halted legislative business and attracted significant national attention.
The GOP-backed map, which is criticized for diluting minority voting power, aims to add five Republican seats to the Texas congressional delegation. The Democrats' absence denies the House the quorum required to conduct business, effectively stalling the map's passage.
However, this tactic faces legal and political pressure, with Republicans threatening to call further special sessions, pursue arrests, and impose fines on absent Democrats. Governor Greg Abbott has even filed a motion to remove Rep. Wu from office, and Attorney General Ken Paxton has followed with a petition asking the state Supreme Court to strip others of their seats.
The Democrats' strategy involves leaving Texas to break quorum, seeking national support, linking their fight to minority voting rights, setting return conditions, and preparing for legal challenges. They have been staying in a hotel attached to a convention center an hour outside Chicago, and some have brought communications teams armed with video equipment to document their efforts.
The Democrats' absence has consequences beyond the legislative delay. It has drawn significant media coverage and national political involvement, including support from California Democrats who are proposing their own counter-redistricting ballot measure. However, the Texas Senate Democrats could not maintain quorum due to some members remaining, allowing the Senate to approve its version of the map.
Despite the risks, the Democrats are determined to protect minority representation and mobilize national support. Their caucus includes small-business owners, realtors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, grandmothers, a deacon, and a masonry contractor. They have stalled a fast-tracked plan to net Republicans up to five additional congressional seats next year, and the special legislative session in Texas ends in 10 days, but Governor Greg Abbott can demand lawmakers return to Austin immediately after it ends.
The $500-a-day fines for absent lawmakers enacted after the 2021 protest will soon outpace their annual salary of $7,200. They cannot use campaign or official funds to pay the fines, and a Texas judge has temporarily barred a political committee operated by former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke from fundraising for absent Democratic lawmakers.
The suggestion from Abbott and Sen. John Cornyn that the FBI might assist state law enforcement efforts was a jarring reminder that leadership in Washington has turned over since their last walkout.
\n\nReferences:
- Texas Tribune
- The New York Times
- Politico
- CNN
- The Texas Democrats' departure to thwart the contentious redistricting map has sparked a heated debate, as it intertwines politics with war-and-conflicts, given the Republican threats of arrests and fines.
- The controversial redistricting map, criticized for undermining minority voting power, is not only a matter of policy-and-legislation but also a phase of general-news, as it attracts national attention and involves political maneuvers and legal challenges.
