Texas Democrats seek to block redistricting vote by leaving state

4/8/2025 12:01

Democratic lawmakers in Texas said on Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move Republicans are seeking to protect their narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections.



President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.



In a video shot in front of an airport, Democratic Representative James Talarico said the redistricting plan amounted to "rigging" the 2026 elections.



"If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab," Talarico said in the video posted on X on Sunday.



Several other Texas Democrats said on X they were headed to Illinois, whose governor is Democrat J.B. Pritzker.



Republican Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement late Sunday that any Democrat House member who did not return would be removed from the Texas House.