Texas House Democrats leave state to block redistricting bill

Texas House Democrats announced they are leaving the state to break quorum and block a controversial Republican-led redistricting plan that they say would silence minority voters and cement GOP control of Congress.

In a statement on Sunday, Texas Democrats accused Governor Greg Abbott and Republican lawmakers of using the aftermath of deadly floods to push through what they called a “corrupt, racially motivated” redistricting plan designed to benefit President Trump.

“We’re leaving Texas to fight for Texans,” said Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, who called the decision “one made with absolute moral clarity.”

The protest follows the release of a proposed congressional map that would give Republicans a path to gain up to five additional seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The map, backed by Trump, shifts district lines in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and South Texas in ways that would target incumbent Democrats.

A House committee approved the proposal on a party-line vote Saturday. “This map was politically based, and that’s totally legal, totally allowed and totally fair,” Republican Rep. Cody Vasut, who chairs the committee, told NBC News. He added the redistricting effort is intended to “improve the political performance” of the state’s congressional map.

Under a law passed by the Republican-led Legislature in 2023, Texas lawmakers who leave the state to break quorum can face fines of $500 per day and potential arrest. NBC News reported that the House Democrats plan to regroup in Illinois, where they are expected to be hosted by Governor JB Pritzker.

The Texas House is scheduled to convene at 3 p.m. CT Monday. So far, redistricting is the only item on the legislative calendar. A press conference is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. following the Democrats’ departure.