After Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott said he would move to arrest and expel from the state legislature those Democrats who left the state to avoid voting on a new heavily-gerrymandered redistricting map, Democrats responded with a brief statement indicating they will not capitulate to his threats.
The Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting advanced the proposed new House maps on Saturday, setting the stage for a full House vote later this week. With Republicans controlling both legislative chambers and the governor’s office, Democrats have limited tools to block the maps from passing.
By leaving, the Democrats are denying Republicans a quorum—the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct legislative business—echoing a similar tactic they used during the 2003 midcycle redistricting battle. This time, most members traveled to Democratic-led states like Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts.
Breaking quorum may come at a steep price for the more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who left the state. Each faces a $500 daily fine and the potential risk of arrest for defying the legislative process.
And Abbott said in a statement that he would move to punish them:
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans. By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”
But Democrats showed no signs of backing down, publishing a four-word statement in response to what they referred to as his “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme”:
“Come and take it.”
You can see the statement below.
Texas House Democrats
Many applauded their response and have criticized Abbott in turn.
Additionally, Texas Democratic House Representative Jolanda Jones went further, shutting down Abbott’s threat:
“I’m a lawyer. Part of my practice is criminal defense work. There is no felony in the Texas penal code for what he says. Respectfully, he’s making up some s**t, okay?”
“He’s trying to get soundbites and he has no legal mechanism and if he did, subpoenas from Texas don’t work in New York. So he can come get us how? Subpoenas from Texas don’t work in Chicago. He’s going to come get us how?”
“So let me be clear: He’s putting up smoke and mirrors and I’m hopeful that the media won’t follow that.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Texas Republicans are moving to redraw congressional maps ahead of 2026, as President Donald Trump eyes potential gains in the Lone Star State during what could be a tough election cycle for the GOP.
Mid-decade redistricting is rare, as most states revise their maps just once every decade after the U.S. Census. Ohio had been expected to be the only state redrawing its districts this year, following disputes over its 2022 lines. Typically, mid-cycle changes are driven by court rulings or legal challenges to existing maps.
The proposed Texas redraw would affect districts in key regions like Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley. The move has already sparked interest in blue states such as California and New York to retaliate with their own potential map revisions in response.
