'This Special Session Is Over': Texas Dems Flee State to Thwart Trump-Led Plot Against Democracy

To prevent Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his fellow GOP lawmakers in the state from holding a vote Monday that has been described as a direct assault on voting rights ahead of the 2026 midterms, members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus on Sunday reportedly fled the state in order to delay passage of the legislation.

"This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity," said state Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a statement, in which he accused Gov. Greg Abbott of "using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal" with President Donald Trump that would see voting districts across the state redrawn in order to benefit Republicans in next year's elections.

According to the Texas Tribune:

The maneuver, to be undertaken by most of the Texas House's 62 Democrats, deprives the Republican-controlled chamber of a quorum — the number of lawmakers needed to function under House rules — ahead of a scheduled Monday vote on the draft map. The 150-member House can only conduct business if at least 100 members are present, meaning the absence of 51 or more Democrats can bring the Legislature's ongoing special session to a halt.

The current special legislative session in Texas was initially called by Gov. Abbott in response to deadly flooding that rocked the state earlier this summer, but the redistricting legislation was later added to the agenda.

State Rep. Wu, in his statement, said Democrats in Texas would not "allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander."

"We're not walking out on our responsibilities," said Wu. "We're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent. As of today, this corrupt special session is over."

The fight over a new wave of Texas gerrymandering led by Gov. Abbott has touched off a new national fight over redistricting for 2026, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announcing over the weekend that he would—if Texas proceeds—"fight fire with fire" by looking at ways to carve away Republican districts in his state.

Speaking with the New York Times, a person close to the president—given anonymity by the Times to speak candidly about a plan that goes far beyond Texas—said the strategy on redistricting is something like this: "Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time."

In addition to Texas, the newspaper reports that Trump hopes to encourage a number of other Republican-controlled states—including Missouri, Florida, Indiana, New Hampshire and Ohio—to take on similar efforts ahead of 2026.

Appearing on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) backed Newsom's effort.

"If Republicans were confident on their policy agenda, they'd be eager to defend it with the people and to defend it at the ballot box next November," Padilla said. "But they know they're in trouble. And so they're trying to rig the system to hold on to power."

In this context, Democrats in Texas, though in the minority, have vowed to fight, and fleeing the state to deny the GOP quorum is a testament to their weak political position, but also their desire to show they are willing to put themselves at risk to prove to their constituents—and the rest of the nation—that they are not rolling over.

Democratic State Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher who describes himself as a "proud progressive," has been raising the alarm in recent days about the Republican effort and accusing Trump of trying to "rig the next election."

"[Trump] told Republicans to redraw the political maps in Texas to give himself five more seats and protect his majority in Congress," said Talarico. "This is the rot at the core of our broken political system."