Republican Governor Greg Abbott has ordered authorities to arrest the dozens of Texas Democrats who have fled the state to successfully block a vote on a Republican plan to redraw its congressional districts.
On Monday, local time, more than 50 Democratic members of the Texas legislature prevented their state’s House of Representatives from moving forward with a redrawn congressional map sought by US President Donald Trump.
The politicians denied Republicans the quorum necessary to vote on the redistricting plan — something Mr Trump and his Republicans hope will protect their party’s narrow US House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
The Republican-dominated House quickly issued civil arrest warrants for absent members and Mr Abbott ordered state troopers to help find and arrest them, but Democrats who are not in Texas are beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.
The quorum break has also delayed votes on flood relief and new warning systems in the wake of last month’s catastrophic floods in Texas that killed at least 136 people.
Democrats had called for the voting on the flooding response to take place before voting on changes to the electoral map.
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty,” Mr Abbott wrote in a statement posted to social media.Â
“By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief.”
He added there were “consequences for dereliction of duty”.Â
Democrats have countered that Mr Abbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legal authority he does not have.
The Democratic revolt and Mr Abbott’s threats ratcheted up a widening fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but expanded to include Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of rushing to redraw their own state maps in retaliation, even if their options are limited.Â
Chris Turner holds a map as he asks questions during a public hearing on congressional redistricting in Texas. (AP: Eric Gay)
At the centre of the escalating impasse is Mr Trump’s hope of adding five more GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas before the 2026 midterm elections.Â
That would bolster his party’s chances of preserving its slim US House majority, which Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Mr Trump’s first presidency.Â
Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’s 38 seats.
Speaking on Fox News on Monday, local time, Mr Abbott essentially admitted to the partisan power play, noting that the US Supreme Court has determined “there is nothing illegal” about shaping districts to a majority party’s advantage.Â
Texas Democrats say they have to ‘fight fire with fire’
Democrats said they had no plans to heed the governor’s demands.
“He has no legal mechanism,” said Jolanda Jones, one of the Texas Democrats who was in New York on Monday.
Jay Pritzker speaks about the plans Texas Republicans have to redraw the House map during a press conference in Illinois on Sunday. (AP: Mark Black)
“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.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul appeared with Texas Democrats and argued that their cause should be national.
“We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys,” she said on Monday.
“If Republicans are willing to rewrite rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us with no choice: We must do the same. You have to fight fire with fire.”
Texas legislators’ refusal to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules.Â
The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to “physically compel the attendance” of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served that year.
Two years later, Republicans pushed through new rules allowing daily fines of $US500 ($772) for legislators who do not show up for work.
AP/Reuters