A political crisis is gripping the Texas Capitol after more than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House fled the state Sunday to block a scheduled vote on a controversial mid-decade redistricting bill that would give Republicans five additional congressional seats. Their departure left the House without the 100-member quorum needed to conduct business, prompting Republican leaders to take extraordinary measures—including ordering civil arrest warrants.
The confrontation marks an escalation in a long-simmering partisan battle over control of Texas's rapidly shifting electorate, and mirrors past quorum-breaking walkouts by Democrats protesting GOP-led initiatives.
On Monday morning, only 90 of the chamber’s 150 members were present—10 short of the required quorum. The absence of the Democrats, some believed to be in Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, brought legislative activity to a halt.
In response, House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) ordered a “call of the House,” authorizing the sergeant at arms to locate and return missing members. Civil arrest warrants were issued almost immediately—a sharper and swifter reaction than in 2021, when Democrats similarly fled the state over voting legislation and faced arrest orders only weeks later.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) backed the move, declaring that the fleeing Democrats had “abandoned their duty to Texans.”
“Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief,” Abbott said in a statement. “There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”
Abbott also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate and return the missing members to the Capitol. But enforcing those warrants beyond state lines is legally uncertain—an issue both Abbott and Burrows have so far sidestepped.
The walkout was timed to derail a planned vote on a redistricting proposal that cleared committee over the weekend. The proposed map, drafted mid-decade outside the usual redistricting cycle, would shift five congressional seats toward Republican control while eliminating or weakening several Democratic strongholds. Though GOP leaders have said the map reflects population changes and adheres to federal law, Democrats have decried the move as a blatant power grab.
Yet Republican leadership has largely avoided discussing the redistricting bill in public. Instead, Burrows and Abbott have framed the Democratic walkout as an obstruction of unrelated legislative priorities—flood recovery, anti-human trafficking efforts, and education reform.
Speaker Burrows emphasized these points in remarks Monday to a mostly empty chamber:
“Those who answered the call honored their oath, and came here ready to work for the people of Texas,” he said. “Some of our colleagues have fled the state… and turned their backs on the constituents they swore to represent.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), a hardline conservative currently running in a heated Senate primary, was more combative in tone, labeling the Democrats “jet-setting runaways” and calling for their swift arrest and punishment.
While redistricting remains the core issue behind the walkout, it was notably absent from most official Republican statements. Democrats, meanwhile, have openly linked the effort to broader GOP strategies aimed at consolidating power nationwide.
“I support my fellow Democrats who’ve left the state to protect all Texans' votes,” said Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso), one of the few Democrats who stayed behind. “But there are many battles on many fronts… The best way I can fight back is at the Capitol.”
Democratic Rep. Jolanda Jones, speaking from an undisclosed location, drew a connection between Texas’s redistricting effort and a past mid-decade map change in North Carolina, which she said had helped secure votes in Congress for unpopular Republican policies, including a Trump-era tax overhaul that slashed Medicaid funding.
Republican leaders have acknowledged the seriousness of the quorum breach but appear divided on their next moves. Speaker Burrows noted that one absent Democrat had planned to attend a fundraiser in Austin and joked that he had forwarded the event details to the Department of Public Safety.
“We’ll see how that goes forward,” Burrows said, eliciting laughter from those present.
Still, the chamber’s ability to conduct legislative business remains frozen. Among the Democratic caucus, only six members were present Monday, including Reps. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg), Oscar Longoria (D-Mission), Mando Martinez (D-Weslaco), Joe Moody (D-El Paso), Sergio Muñoz (D-Palmview), and Richard Raymond (D-Laredo). Muñoz did not register his presence for quorum purposes, but he did vote on procedural motions later in the day.
Republican attendance was also not complete. Reps. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) was absent due to his wife’s surgery, and Rep. Janie Lopez (R-San Benito) did not register any votes, despite being seen on the floor.
Despite the political theatrics, the stakes are real: If Democrats can hold out until August 19, the end of the current special session, they could successfully delay the redistricting bill. But Abbott has the authority to call unlimited special sessions—an option he has already indicated he’s willing to use.
For now, the Texas House is caught in a constitutional limbo. No legislation—on redistricting or otherwise—can pass without a quorum. Republican leaders insist they are prepared to wait, but Democrats appear equally resolved to resist.
“The House will complete its required duties,” Burrows said. “Whether it’s tomorrow or next week.”
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