Texas Governor Greg Abbott is threatening to arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a vote that has big implications for which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
At least 51 Democrats have run away, trying to stop a redistricting plan that could help Republicans win up to five more House seats in those midterm elections.
A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is considered a civil violation of legislative rules. So the Texas House has now approved a measure to find and arrest the Democrats who did not appear for a special session. However, the civil warrants only apply within state lines.
Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones, who has fled to New York, taunted Abbott, saying, “Subpoenas from Texas don’t work in New York, so he can’t come and get us. Subpoenas in Texas don’t work in Chicago. … He’s putting up smoke and mirrors.”
Due to the difficulty of enforcing those arrest warrants, Texas Republicans are looking at other measures, such as fines. “If you continue to go down this road, there will be consequences,” House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows said.
And Gov. Abbott has issued another warning. “I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state Legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do,” he said.
Abbott cited a non-binding legal opinion issued by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton during the last partisan quorum dispute in 2021. Paxton suggested a court could determine that a legislator had forfeited their office. Defenders of the Democrats’ actions disagree with that legal assessment.
Back in 2021, when Democrats pulled a similar stunt to prevent Republicans from voting, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that House leaders could “physically compel the attendance” of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served. Republicans answered by adopting $500 daily fines for lawmakers who don’t show.
Meanwhile, Democrats contend their actions are warranted because they claim the redistricting plan diminishes the voting power of minorities.
Gov. Abbot disagrees, pointing out that the U.S. Supreme Court has determined “there is nothing illegal” about shaping districts to a majority party’s advantage.
“These districts are going to show that Hispanics and Blacks, as well as others, are voting for a Republican and a Republican is their candidate of choice, and we will ensure that will be achieved at the Congressional level in the state of Texas,” he said.
The redistricting move is touching off a backlash in several large Democrat-led states. The governors of New York and California are threatening to change their congressional districts to offset the expected losses.
Several of the Texas Democrats who fled their state have sought shelter in New York, standing recently with NY Gov. Kathy Hochul as she labeled Texas Republicans “a bunch of law-breaking cowboys.”
Hochul said if Texas alters its congressional districts, then “We must do the same. You have to fight fire with fire.”
California Democrats are also looking for a way to slash five Republican-held House seats in the left-leaning state while ensuring Democratic incumbents have the upper hand in battleground districts.
Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’s 38 seats in the U.S. House.
