October 2, 2026
Texas Democrats fled the state Sunday in an attempt to prevent the state House from holding a vote Monday on new congressional maps for the 2026 midterm elections.
The dramatic move could expose Democrats to fines and other penalties, with the state's attorney general having previously threatened to arrest them if they took such an action. Refusing to attend legislative session is a civil violation, however, so Democrats legally could not be jailed, and it's unclear who has the power to carry out the warrants.
To conduct official business, at least 100 members of the 150-member Texas House must be present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majority-Republican chamber. At least 51 Democratic members are leaving the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus.
The move marks the second time in four years that Texas Democrats have fled the state to block a vote. In 2021, a 38-day standoff took place when Democrats left for Washington, D.C. in opposition to new voting restrictions.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session of the Legislature that started last month to take up the redistricting effort, as well as to respond to flooding in the Texas Hill Country that killed at least 135 people in July.
Speaker Dustin Burrows said the Texas House would meet as planned on Monday afternoon.
“If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table..." he posted on X.
Attorney General Ken Paxton on X said the state should “use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” he wrote.
Abbott's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday afternoon.
Texas Republicans last week unveiled their planned new U.S. House map that would create five new Republican-leaning seats. Republicans currently hold 25 of the state’s 38 seats.
By leaving the state, Democrats are looking to block Republicans from the needed quorum to hold votes on the map set for Monday. The Texas House has rules to fine lawmakers $500 each day they break a quorum. Paxton has said previously that if Democrats break quorum, “they should be found and arrested no matter where they go.”
A large chunk of the Texas Democrats are heading to Illinois, where Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker had been in quiet talks with them for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state to break quorum. Pritzker is a potential 2028 presidential contender.
Last week, Pritzker hosted several Texas Democrats in Illinois to publicly oppose the redistricting effort. California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a similar event in his own state.
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