Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Moves To Amp Up The Pressure On Democrats Who Fled In Redistricting Standoff

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to telephone “special convention aft typical convention aft typical session” successful consequence to Democratic lawmakers who person fled nan authorities to artifact redistricting legislation, saying they’ll person to enactment retired of Texas for years to forestall it becoming law.

“We are successful nan process arsenic we speak correct now of searching for, preparing to apprehension Democrats who whitethorn beryllium successful Texas, whitethorn beryllium elsewhere,” Abbott, a Republican, told NBC News successful an question and reply astatine nan governor’s mansion Thursday evening.

“But I’ll show you this also, Democrats enactment for illustration they’re not going to travel backmost arsenic agelong arsenic this is an issue,” Abbott said. “That intends they’re not going to travel backmost until for illustration 2027 aliases 2028, because I’m going to telephone typical convention aft typical convention aft typical convention pinch nan aforesaid schedule items connected there.”

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled nan state earlier this week to artifact nan authorities House from moving guardant pinch nan Republican majority’s projected legislature map, designed to boost nan number of GOP-held seats up of adjacent year’s midterm elections.

The Republican-led authorities House has approved civilian apprehension warrants for nan missing lawmakers, and Abbott has filed a lawsuit pinch nan authorities Supreme Court seeking to region nan House Democratic leader from agency for “an intentional abandonment of his law duty.”

Abbott said he has not spoken to President Donald Trump astir nan national government’s imaginable domiciled successful ending nan standoff. Trump said earlier this week that nan FBI “may person to” get involved, though an management charismatic besides told NBC News earlier this week that location were nary plans to usage national agents to apprehension Texas lawmakers who near nan state.

“I’m not going to disclose though each whitethorn aliases whitethorn not beryllium involved,” Abbott said Thursday erstwhile asked if nan FBI has a morganatic domiciled to play. “All I tin opportunity is we’re going to usage each instrumentality that we tin to make judge that these runaway Democrats are going to beryllium held accountable.”

Abbott said a redraw of nan state’s legislature representation was basal because “both nan rule and facts person changed since we drew nan lines backmost successful 2021,” pointing to a national appeals tribunal past year that ruled that aggregate number groups could not shape a conjugation to situation a governmental representation arsenic a group gerrymander.

But Abbott besides pointed to nan results of nan past predetermination arsenic governmental justification for mid-decade redistricting, alternatively of waiting until nan adjacent nationalist census aft 2030.

“A batch of group who voted Republican, who voted for Donald Trump, were trapped into Democrat districts,” Abbott said. “And truthful erstwhile you look astatine nan facts, erstwhile you look astatine nan law, location is each logic to spell up and tie nan lines truthful that we tin guarantee that each elector is going to person nan opportunity to ballot for their campaigner of choice.”

Trump won 56% of nan ballot successful Texas successful 2024. The projected legislature map could lead to Republicans controlling 30 of nan state’s legislature districts — astir 80%. Republicans currently control 25 of nan state’s 38 legislature districts.

Abbott rejected nan conception that nan caller representation could springiness Republicans outsized representation, pointing to Illinois, pinch its 14-3 Democratic legislature delegation, and different states.

“What has surfaced because of Texas doing redistricting is nan measurement that each nan bluish states successful The state person gerrymandered their states. Look astatine nan disproportionate deficiency of Republican practice successful Congress, successful California, Illinois, Massachusetts — which has zero members of Congress who are Republican, New York,” Abbott said.

Some of those blue-state governors person vowed to retaliate and push their ain states to tie caller legislature boundaries if Texas does so, though they could look important hurdles owed to nan different redistricting processes successful their states.

“The politician doesn’t person unilateral authority successful those states to return action,” Abbott said of that imaginable retaliation. “They person committees and commissions and things for illustration that. But nan truth is: Look astatine nan representation of Illinois. It’s drawn successful specified a measurement that they can’t moreover compression retired different Republican. It’s a joke.”

The ongoing standoff has crushed to a halt nan typical legislative convention Abbott called successful Texas, besides blocking action connected different priorities including alleviation for victims of devastating floods successful Central Texas past month. Republican authorities House leaders chose to move guardant connected nan redistricting authorities first, but each bills successful nan legislature are now connected region without a quorum present.

“There’s only 1 point that’s denying our expertise to get authorities passed. And it’s these Democrats who person fled nan state, turned their backs connected their chap constituents,” Abbott said. “And those Democrats are going to suffer their occupation successful nan upcoming election, if they don’t get kicked retired earlier then, because they’re not stepping up helping retired their constituents who are successful hopeless need.”

“Any assistance to their constituents who’ve been harmed by these floods is being delayed and denied by nan derelict Democrats,” Abbott said.

All of that fed into Abbott’s statement to nan authorities Supreme Court that authorities Rep. Gene Wu, nan House Democratic Caucus chairman, has violated his oath of agency and abandoned his spot by fleeing to Illinois.

“If quorum breaking is allowed to succeed, past one-third of House Democrats will beryllium capable to dictate what nan norm of rule is for 100% of each Texans,” Abbott said of his lawsuit, adding that he believed nan authorities Supreme Court would work together that Democrats do not person that power.

“These Democrats, they’re nan antithesis of what a Texan is,” Abbott said. “Oh, nan going sewage tough. Let’s not fight, let’s flee. These are quitters. They are cowards, and their cowardice will origin them to get kicked retired of office.”

Wu, successful a connection connected Tuesday, responded to Abbott’s suit by saying his “constitutional work is to not beryllium a consenting participant” successful nan typical convention that includes nan legislature representation redraw.

“Denying nan politician a quorum was not an abandonment of my office; it was a fulfillment of my oath,” Wu said successful nan statement. “Unable to take sides his corrupt schedule connected its merits, Greg Abbott now desperately seeks to soundlessness my dissent by removing a duly-elected charismatic from office.”

Ryan Chandler reported from Austin and Bridget Bowman reported from Washington, D.C.