US EditionTexas Republicans could have a hard time enforcing threats against Democrats who left
TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, AUG 5 – Republicans threaten fines and legal actions after Democrats fled Texas to block redistricting that could shift five U.S. House seats, impacting 2026 midterm elections, officials said.
- In 2025, more than fifty Texas Democratic legislators left the state to prevent the House of Representatives from holding a scheduled vote on a proposed redrawing of the U.S. House electoral boundaries.
- The lawmakers fled to Democratic-controlled states to prevent a quorum, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to order state troopers to locate and return them while threatening daily $500 fines and removal from office.
- State Attorney General Ken Paxton, running for U.S. Senate, promised to press lawsuits to vacate lawmakers' seats if they do not return, but acknowledged enforcement challenges due to interstate cooperation and legal obstacles.
- The Texas House rules require at least 100 members for a quorum; with 51 Democrats absent, Republicans hold an 88-62 majority but cannot pass the map sought by President Trump to gain five U.S. House seats from Texas in 2026.
- The standoff illustrates escalating political tensions and legal uncertainty in Texas redistricting battles, while Democrats raise significant donations and frame their quorum break as a fight against an existential threat.
33 Articles
33 Articles
By Eric Bradner, CNN Both Republicans and Democrats in Texas are ramping up their rhetoric over proposed US House maps that could give the GOP five more seats. But for now, action in Austin is stalled. Most of the Democrats who left the state to stop redistricting show no signs of returning to Texas. Republicans are escalating their threats, and Governor Greg Abbott has gone to court to seek the recall of a Houston lawmaker.
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Joe Scarborough Laughs Out Loud as He Mocks ‘Scared’ Texas GOP for ‘Rigging the Maps’
Morning Joe kicked off Wednesday’s show with laughter from host Joe Scarborough, who mocked Texas Republicans for “rigging the maps” because they’re “scared” of being “crushed” by Democrats in the 2026 midterms. The Texas Republicans’ effort to redraw the state’s congressional map in a bid to flip five Democrat-held seats has sparked fierce backlash. In a dramatic move to block the vote, a group of Texas Democrats fled to other states, including…
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