DEVELOPING: Democrat Governor Brokers Plan With State Lawmakers In Effort To Block Redistricting Plan, Republican Attorney General Supports “Immediate Arrest”

According to reports, Texas House Democrats have fled the state to block the passage of the proposed congressional district redraw that would likely give the GOP five additional seats in the House of Representatives.

The move would deny the Republican-controlled chamber a required quorum ahead of a scheduled vote on the proposed congressional map.

The Texas House Redistricting Committee advanced the congressional map redraw on a 12-6 party-line vote.

The proposed map could be considered by the entire state House as early as next week.

Texas Proposed Congressional Map Redraw Advances

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker brokered a plan with approximately 30 Texas Democrats to stay for the week, NBC News reported.

NEW - Illinois Governor Pritzker brokers deal with Texas democrats to block Texas' congressional redistricting — NBC

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 3, 2025

NBC News shared further details:

A news conference with the governor and Texas Democrats is expected later Sunday.

“We’re leaving Texas to fight for Texans,” Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement. “We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander. We’re not walking out on our responsibilities; 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.”

Last week, Texas Republicans released a proposed new congressional map that would give the GOP a path to pick up five seats in next year’s midterm elections. It followed President Donald Trump’s public pressure for a new map in the state as he works to retain a majority in Congress in what historically is a difficult year for the party holding the White House.

The proposed map would shift district lines in ways that would target current Democratic members of Congress in and around Austin, Dallas and Houston, as well as two already endangered Democrats representing south Texas districts that Trump carried last year.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said House Democrats fleeing the state should be "arrested" and brought back to the Capitol.

"Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately," Paxton said.

"We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law," he added.

Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.

We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 3, 2025

"I support the immediate arrest of these rogue lawmakers who’ve fled their duties. These radical Democrats are spitting in the face of every Texan they swore to represent. This is cowardice and dereliction of duty, and they should face the full force of the law without apology," Paxton said in another post.

I support the immediate arrest of these rogue lawmakers who’ve fled their duties. These radical Democrats are spitting in the face of every Texan they swore to represent. This is cowardice and dereliction of duty, and they should face the full force of the law without apology. https://t.co/cE6fZowNmR

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 3, 2025

The Texas Tribune has more:

Most House Democrats left Texas Sunday afternoon en route to Chicago, with some also headed to New York to meet with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has condemned Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort and entertained the idea of retaliating with new maps in her state. A third contingent of lawmakers also departed for Boston to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual legislative summit.

There are just over two weeks left of the Texas Legislature’s special session, during which Abbott has also asked lawmakers to take up measures responding to the deadly July 4 Hill Country floods, stiffer regulations for consumable hemp, and contentious GOP priorities such as cracking down on abortion pills and the bathrooms transgender people can use. The prospects for those items, along with the new redistricting maps, were immediately thrown in doubt by the Democrats’ departure.