Texas Democrats will undoubtedly be looking to return their party to their home state. The Texas legislature is about to adjourn its first special session without passing new congressional maps. File photo / Gene Wu, chair of the Texas Democratic caucus, on an important officeholder’s announcement. He said Democrats would be back if the special session ended on Friday and California released its own congressional district map.
It worked spectacularly last month, when over 50 Texas Democrats fled the state to deny a quorum in their legislature. This intentional shift followed a Republican-led effort to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Former President Donald Trump lobbied for this move to add five more Republican seats.
Wu shared some positive words about their homecoming. He called on Texas Democrats to return recharged and accept their destiny in this protracted battle. He called on them to deepen their advocacy in the face of what he described as a coordinated attack on democracy.
“Under the advice of legal counsel, Democrats must return to Texas to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle against a map that violates both the current Voting Rights Act and the Constitution,” – Texas Democratic caucus
Former Attorney General Eric Holder similarly praised Democrats for their return, praising their tenacity and courage. He explained that their work had been inspiring responses from other states — including California — seeking to fight back against mid-decade gerrymandering.
“We can’t let a systematic assault on democracy just happen and stand by and so because of your actions, because of your courage, what you’ve seen is California responding, other states looking at what they can do to offset this mid-decade gerrymandering,” – Eric Holder
For months, Texas Republicans have been cranking up the pressure on those now-absent Democratic lawmakers to come back. They’re deliberately working to short circuit the Democrats’ travel funding. They’ve gone so far as to file legal challenges to banish them from office. Governor Greg Abbott has promised to call special sessions until every last Texas Democrat comes home.
The recently adopted congressional map, released at the end of July. It will increase the Congress representation Republican currently hold in Congress by five seats, in a state where Republicans already control 25 of the state’s 38 congressional districts. Even as the special session nears completion, no end remains in sight. Both parties are preparing for a courtroom showdown on the contentious political charged redistricting process.