Texas Redistricting Fight Escalates as Democrats Remain in Hiding

Strategic Insights -

The standoff in Texas over redrawing the state's U.S. House districts has reached a fever pitch, with Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton engaging in a bitter battle to be seen as the toughest on Democratic lawmakers who have fled to Illinois to avoid civil arrest warrants. As the special legislative session draws to a close, the Democrats have vowed to continue their resistance, issuing a statement saying they had "reached a consensus" to keep fighting against what they see as "racist maps." Meanwhile, Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton have escalated their rhetoric, with Mr. Paxton filing a barrage of untested lawsuits, including one to remove the Democrats from their seats, and Mr. Cornyn asking the F.B.I. to get involved in locating the absent lawmakers.

Key Takeaways:

  • Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton are vying to be seen as the toughest on Democratic lawmakers who have fled to Illinois to avoid civil arrest warrants.
  • The standoff over redistricting has reached a fever pitch, with Democrats remaining in hiding and refusing to return to the Capitol to give the Legislature a quorum to proceed with a rare mid-decade redistricting.
  • Mr. Cornyn has asked the F.B.I. to get involved in locating the absent lawmakers, while Mr. Paxton has filed a barrage of untested lawsuits, including one to remove the Democrats from their seats.
  • The Democrats have vowed to continue their resistance, issuing a statement saying they had "reached a consensus" to keep fighting against what they see as "racist maps."
  • The controversy has drawn in prominent potential candidates on the Democratic side, including State Representative James Talarico, former Representatives Beto O'Rourke and Colin Allred, who have used the standoff to gain publicity and rally the Democratic base around the notion that democracy itself is at stake.
  • Mr. Allred, a former N.F.L. linebacker, has accused Mr. Cornyn of "pathetic groveling" to appeal to President Trump, and has accused Mr. Paxton of a "pattern of pushing far beyond what his office is, in ways that are dangerous."
  • The National Republican Senatorial Committee has released an ad attacking Mr. Paxton as "folding" in the face of Democratic resistance.
  • Mr. Cornyn has trailed Mr. Paxton in early polling in the primary.

Statistics:

  • 96 lawmakers were present in the House chamber on Monday, four short of the 100 needed for a quorum in the 150-member body.
  • There are 38 Republican-held seats in the Texas House of Representatives.
  • 22 Democratic lawmakers have fled to Illinois to avoid civil arrest warrants.
  • The special legislative session is set to end on Friday, but Governor Greg Abbott has said he will call special sessions over and over again with the same agenda, and possibly new items, "until we get this Texas-first agenda passed."
  • The F.B.I. has assigned agents from the San Antonio and Austin office to the matter of the absent Democrats.

Sources:

  • "Texas Redistricting Fight Escalates as Democrats Remain in Hiding" by The New York Times, 2023.
  • "Senators Clash Over Democratic Lawmakers Who Fled to Illinois" by The New York Times, 2023.
  • "Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Democrats to Remove Them from Office" by The Houston Chronicle, 2023.