Texas Democrats dig in as Abbott promises fines, extradition and arrests
CHICAGO — About two-dozen Texas Democrats huddled around a monitor inside a hotel auditorium just west of Chicago Monday to watch as their Republican colleagues gaveled back into session and threatened “consequences” for their mass departure.
Minutes later, as they stared at their phones, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the ordering of their arrest. The atmosphere, according to a person in the room, remained tense while the bell rang to call the session to order but turned more defiant and boisterous during the speakers’ remarks and press conference.
More than a thousand miles away in Austin, Texas, the Democrats who didn’t flee the state hunkered down for the final 15 days of a special legislative session set to end Aug. 19. They gathered to address, in part, a mid-decade redistricting proposal pushed by President Donald Trump.
The splitscreen capped a 24-hour frenzy that began when dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state to protest the remapped congressional lines designed to keep Republicans in power during next year’s crucial midterms. And it underscored the high stakes of the standoff: A president clamoring to cling to partisan control at every level — helped by a high-profile red state governor — facing a coup from the opposing party.
And despite an uncertain endgame and the possibility of Abbott simply calling for another special session, Democrats here are planning extended stays and making arrangements for children and relatives to visit them, according to one person close to the lawmakers who was granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter.
Democrats, who broke quorum by leaving the Lone Star State, now face an uncertain path. Past quorum breaks, like their 2021 effort to block passage of an elections bill, have been minimally successful.
Without the necessary number of legislators needed to conduct business, the Republican-controlled state House can’t vote on the plan that could cement its party’s power in Congress next year.
“See my bags here,” state Rep. Rafael Anchia said late Sunday evening as he headed to the bus bound for the Q Center, a hotel and conference center. “I’m prepared to be here for as long as it takes to make sure that we stop the redistricting this session, and we’re going to feel our way through additional special sessions, if they’re called by the governor.”
A White House official told POLITICO Trump’s team is taking “a pretty hands-off approach” to the brewing battle, deferring to Texas Republicans.
“We made our case and now we’re counting on them to get it done,” added the person, who was granted anonymity to freely discuss a matter being privately negotiated.
State Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus, captured her group’s predicament in an interview. “We really do not have a choice,” she said. “What is our alternative? Rolling down and rolling over for Trump’s economy to continue to destroy America?”
The risks are big for Texas Democrats — from $500-a-day fines, to extradition, to the more unlikely scenario of Abbott replacing them with hand-picked legislators, to facing civil arrest for violating the Legislature’s rules. They do not, however, face any civil or criminal charges and can only be forced back into the Capitol to take votes.
It’s unclear who would foot the bill for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines members are collectively racking up by abstaining from the legislative session.
There are also political risks. Texas Democrats are not just missing votes related to redistricting, but also on legislation that would provide relief following last month’s devastating floods.
“No one is fooling around this time in Texas,” said Dave Carney, an adviser to Abbott. “In the past, it was like, they came back. Everything was forgiven. It was like kumbaya. That’s not happening. There’s no appetite to say, “Okay, never mind. We’re going to let you do this anytime you fucking want.” Abbott also threatened to arrest Texas Democrats in 2021 when they used the same walkout tactics.
If Abbott chooses to call multiple special sessions to pass the redrawn map that would net five GOP-friendly seats, lawmakers could run into time constraints: New lines must be adopted by early December in order to take effect for the 2026 midterm cycle. The Legislature could collide with filing deadlines for the midterms. Under state law, candidates can declare their intent to seek office from Nov. 8 through Dec. 8, but the state legislature has the authority to extend the deadline.
Each side lacks good options to resolve the stalemate.
Earlier in the day, appearing on the MAGA influencer Benny Johnson’s show, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acknowledged the struggles ahead for Abbott and his fellow Republicans, saying his “first move would have been to chain them to their desk and not let them out of the door,” before adding, “I think the governor is going to be forced into calling several special sessions.”
In an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” Monday, Abbott said the lawmakers “have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do.”
And across blue state capitols from Austin to Springfield Monday afternoon, planes flying “Mess With Texas” banners arced through the skies, capturing the newly weaponized redistricting arms race playing out at fever pitch.
As more than two dozen Texas Democrats huddled in Chicago, some of their colleagues met in the New York State Capitol with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Flanked by six Texas lawmakers, the governor openly embraced a full-fledged gerrymandering of congressional districts in New York to favor fellow Democrats, a further escalation of the national drama.
There, Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones questioned Abbott’s legal rationale.
“I’m a lawyer. Part of my practice is criminal defense work. There is no felony in the penal code for what he says,” Jones said. “So respectfully, he’s making up shit. He’s trying to get sound bites, and he has no legal mechanism, and if he did, subpoenas in Texas don’t work in New York, so he’s going to come get us how?”
Others traveled to Boston for a National Conference of State Legislatures meeting, among them: state lawmakers Sarah Eckhardt, Royce West, Armando Walle and Ana Hernandez. They plan to fly to Illinois on Wednesday.
Leaving a private lunch with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in Boston, Walle said Democrats are fundraising on their behalf.
Back in Texas, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he would entertain a motion for civil arrests of those who fled the state. The House then voted to send the sergeant at arms to bring the departed members back to Texas. Lawmakers voted to arrest their absent colleagues — a vote that only applies to Democrats within state lines. While Burrows can sign civil warrants compelling state troopers to arrest legislators and bring them to the Capitol, they will not face civil or criminal charges for leaving.
The House is set to reconvene Tuesday at 1 p.m.
“The people of Texas are watching, and so is the nation,” Burrows said to Democrats from the House floor. “And if you choose to continue down this road, you should know there will be consequences.”
Bill Mahoney and Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.