The political standoff over Texas’s congressional maps shows no signs of slowing, with Gov. Greg Abbott (R) pledging on Sunday to keep the fight going for “literally years” if necessary.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Abbott defended his plan to arrest Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas in protest of the GOP’s redistricting efforts.
“I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days,” Abbott said. “As soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one.”
Democratic legislators have denied the Texas House the quorum needed to conduct business, traveling to Illinois and other Democratic-led states to delay the Republican-led special session. Abbott warned that once they return, they will be taken into custody and brought to the Capitol, saying the only way to avoid arrest would be to remain outside Texas for years, as reported by The Washington Post.
The dispute stems from the GOP’s push to redraw U.S. House maps in Texas to strengthen Republican influence — a move part of a broader nationwide strategy ahead of the 2026 midterms. Former President Donald Trump and his allies have been advocating for similar efforts in other states, even though redistricting usually follows the decennial census.
Democrats, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, have promised to respond with their own gerrymandering in blue states.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont also weighed in, telling CNN that the Republican push was “pathetic” but insisting Democrats must respond in kind. Abbott, however, argued Democrats in blue states lack the ability to significantly shift their maps after years of prior redistricting.
Tensions have escalated further as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks to enforce civil arrest warrants across state lines and has filed a lawsuit to stop funding for Democratic legislators by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s political group, Powered by People.
In a recent X post, Abbott compared the Democrats to criminals, saying Texans would soon find the “derelict Democrats on milk cartons.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, hosting Texas Democrats in his state, dismissed GOP threats as “grandstanding” and praised the lawmakers as “heroes” resisting what he called a mid-decade power grab, as reported by The Washington Post.
