Texas House reconvenes without quorum as Democrats flee state to thwart Republicans’ redistricting plan

Texas Democrats in the state legislature denied its speaker a legislative quorum Monday by leaving the state, forestalling plans proposed by the White House to redistrict Texas’s congressional lines to more greatly favor Republicans.

When the legislature gaveled in at 3pm local time on Monday, at least 51 Democrats were in Illinois, a legislative conference in Boston, New York and elsewhere. Democrats hold 62 of the 150 seats in the legislature’s lower chamber, so as long as at least 51 members remain out of Austin, the Texas legislature cannot move forward with any votes, including a plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps to give Republicans five more seats in Congress.

Texas governor Greg Abbott has threatened arrest, fines, felony charges of bribery and expulsion against the lawmakers.

“Real Texans do not run from a fight,”Abbott said in a statement Sunday. “This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3pm on Monday, August 4, 2025.”

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, who fled his own impeachment hearings and refused a court order to release his travel records after speaking at the rally in Washington that preceded the January 6 insurrection, has described wayward Democratic legislators as “cowards”.

The Texas House Democratic Caucus said in response: “Come and take it.”

“We are not fighting for the Democratic party,” state representative James Tallarico said in a video message recorded at an airport. “We are fighting for the democratic process, and the stakes could not be higher. We have to take a stand.”

Most of the Democratic caucus absconded to Chicago, a city with a Democratic mayor and city council in a state with a Democratic governor and legislature.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker, who owns the Chicago Hyatt hotel, announced on Monday he would provide free rooms to the Texas Democrats for as long as they are out of state.

A special session of the Texas legislature lasts for 30 days, but Abbott can renew the call for a special session at will. Under new rules the Texas house adopted in 2021, each lawmaker will be fined $500 a day for each day they abscond from the state.