Sunday evening, the Texas legislature suddenly "emptied out".
It was not the Republicans who left, but dozens of Democratic state representatives who collectively "fled" — they crossed state lines to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, with one goal: to prevent the Republicans from voting on a controversial redistricting plan. Due to Texas state law requiring a quorum to pass legislation, their absence directly paralyzed the entire special session.
This political escape operation originated from a power struggle over redrawing congressional districts: a "district war" personally promoted by Trump, aimed at securing five more seats for the Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump's New Map
According to the Texas Republican plan, the new district map would help them squeeze out as many as five more House seats across the state. These seats are crucial for the Republicans — in the current narrow majority in the House, even a few seat fluctuations could change the legislative balance of the entire Congress.
More importantly, this redistricting is taking place after the 2020 census, rather than the usual ten-year adjustment. This move clearly violates convention, and its urgency and politicization have raised public doubts. According to data from the Brennan Center for Justice, the Republicans have already gained a "structural advantage" of 16 House seats nationwide through unequal district mapping.
Therefore, Trump has explicitly stated that he wants to "simply redraw the map of Texas," squeezing every last drop from this already heavily Republican state.
Democrats' "Evasion": It's Not People They're Running From, But District Justice
Facing this clearly biased redistricting map, Texas Democrats did not choose to vote against it in the legislature — they chose the most dramatic tactic: absenteeism to break the quorum, directly putting the legislature into a "non-working" state.
In their statement, they said: "We will not allow catastrophic flood relief funds to be politicized, nor will we let redistricting become a stepping stone for Trump's return."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was furious. He not only threatened to arrest these absent legislators, but also warned that if they did not return by Monday, they would be considered "automatically resigned or lost their positions," and even considered appointing replacements. He further accused these legislators of violating anti-bribery laws by "accepting or raising donations to pay daily fines of $500."
Abbott's attitude was both urgent and harsh. He even claimed to exercise "extradition rights" to "track down" people from other states. The problem is: these Democrats have already chosen safe havens — Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York, all states governed by Democratic governors, who can easily refuse extradition.
In other words, this is a "political resistance" within the system, and a soft confrontation between states.
Internal Guilt and Division Within the Republican Party
To the surprise of many, this Democratic "tactical flight" not only caused anger among the Republicans, but also sparked internal dissatisfaction.
Republican state representative Brian Harrison — a conservative voice often seen on Steve Bannon's "War Room" — directly criticized his own party: "This is less a success for the Democrats than a failure of our Republican leaders. If we really wanted to finish the redistricting early, we would have done it already."
He questioned why the party had known in advance that the Democrats might be absent, yet failed to prepare in advance. In his view, this was a strategic miscalculation that gave the opponents an opportunity.
This also indirectly shows that even in the deeply Republican state of Texas, the Republicans are not entirely united. Some members are anxious about the politicization and partisanship of the redistricting plan, fearing potential legal and social backlash.
The Hostages of the Special Session: Floods and Public Opinion
What made the Democrats even angrier was that Abbott bundled a flood relief bill with the redistricting in the special legislative session. In other words, if the Democrats did not attend the vote, they not only blocked the redistricting map, but also indirectly prevented the distribution of aid funds to flood victims.
Against this, the Democrats strongly criticized the governor for "using disaster victims as political hostages," and said: "This corrupt special session ends today."
From a moral perspective, this is indeed a high-risk political gamble. If the Republicans successfully blame the Democrats for "refusing to vote on the disaster relief bill," the Democrats may face public backlash. However, looking at it from another angle, if they succeed in blocking Trump's "new map," the Democrats will gain national reputation and vote dividends.
Legal Ambiguity and Future Uncertainty
Abbott threatened to cite the legal opinion of Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming that these absent legislators may have "automatically lost their positions." In fact, this opinion has no legal enforceability and does not clearly define whether absence violates the Constitution. Paxton himself is involved in multiple scandals, and his legal opinions may not hold up in court.
At this point, everything becomes a protracted battle: Abbott can continue to hold new special sessions, waiting for the Democrats to "return to work"; the Democrats can continue to stay outside the state, delaying the passage of the bill; the courts may eventually intervene in this dispute, clarifying the legal boundaries of whether "absence constitutes loss of office."
This struggle is far from over, and how long the Democrats can hold out is key.
Redistricting, A Struggle for the Nation's Direction
On the surface, this is a procedural battle in the Texas legislature; but essentially, it is a struggle for the foundations of the democratic system. Whoever has the power to draw maps controls the direction of future elections; and whoever disappears on the map is "silenced" from the system.
The Republicans want more seats, the Democrats are determined to stop them; Trump wants to finalize the map, and the state legislators collectively "abstain."
This is not just an unexpected event in state politics, but a political campaign that is being closely watched across the country. Behind the map struggle lies an ongoing battle for power, institutions, and fairness.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7534789253524439552/
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