Texas Democrats set conditions for return amid redistricting battle

Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives announced Thursday that they are prepared to return to the state, but only under specific conditions tied to ongoing redistricting battles in Texas and California.

The lawmakers, who broke quorum earlier this summer to block the GOP-controlled legislature from advancing a controversial congressional map, say they will come back if Texas Republicans end the current special legislative session and California unveils its own proposal to redraw congressional districts in Democrats’ favor.

Both conditions are expected to be met Friday, though Republican leaders in Texas have made clear that the redistricting fight will continue. Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to call another special session “immediately” after the current one concludes and has said he will do so as many times as needed to pass the Republican plan.

Under the proposed Texas map, Republicans would gain five additional U.S. House seats — a shift Democrats argue is intended to entrench partisan power and diminish minority voting strength.

Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement Thursday that the caucus was ready to resume the fight on home turf if their conditions are satisfied. “Texas House Democrats broke quorum and successfully mobilized the nation against Trump’s assault on minority voting rights,” Wu said. “Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts.”

The Democrats’ return would restore the quorum needed for the House to conduct business. While they did not specify an exact date, a source told ABC News they “loosely plan on returning this weekend.”

Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows indicated Thursday that he would adjourn the chamber Friday if a quorum is still lacking.

The Democrats’ legal strategy, informed by past redistricting fights in Texas, is expected to involve an immediate lawsuit challenging the new maps. Federal courts have previously blocked Texas redistricting plans while litigation played out, and in several cases have ruled such maps unconstitutional.

The standoff has also drawn California into the fray. On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to push legislation allowing California’s legislature to override the state’s independent redistricting commission and draw new maps benefiting Democrats. His proposal, the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would appear on the November ballot if approved by lawmakers.

That move would reverse reforms passed by California voters in 2008 and 2010, which stripped the legislature of redistricting power. However, a new Politico–Citrin Center–Possibility Lab poll suggests Newsom faces an uphill battle: 64% of Californians oppose returning redistricting control to lawmakers, while just 36% support the idea.

Public opinion on Texas’s redistricting proposal is similarly negative. A YouGov poll found that 48% of Americans disapprove of the plan, compared to 30% who support it. Independents lean toward the Democratic position, while partisans remain sharply divided.

Some Republicans outside Texas have warned against triggering a national chain reaction of mid-cycle redistricting. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) cautioned that the move could “start a grass fire across the country,” while Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) said the GOP “should probably shy away” from the tactic.

Still, Republican leaders in states such as Missouri appear poised to follow Texas’s lead, while others, like New Hampshire’s Governor Kelly Ayotte, have ruled out redrawing maps before the next census.

As Texas Democrats weigh their return, both parties appear ready to take the fight beyond the state capitol — and possibly into courtrooms across the country.