Texas Redistricting WAR: Democrats Flee State to Block Republican's GOP Map |Abbott’s Vote Collapses

A dramatic showdown erupts in Texas as 51 Democratic lawmakers flee the state, heading to Illinois to block a Republican redistricting map backed by former President Donald Trump.

The GOP-drafted map would add five Republican-leaning seats to the U.S. House, but Democrats say it's a blatant power grab that silences millions of voters. Without the two-thirds quorum needed to proceed, Governor Greg Abbott’s special session is now in chaos.

As the redistricting war intensifies, Democrats call this political exile a fight for democracy, while Republicans label it cowardice. Will the runaway lawmakers succeed—or be hunted down, fined, or even removed from office?

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Transcript

00:00In a stunning political standoff deep in the heart of Texas, the Democratic lawmakers have

00:22fled the state again. Their destination, Illinois. Their mission, to stop what they are

00:29calling a rigged, redistricting vote that could tip the scales of power in Washington for

00:36years to come.

00:37The controversy centres on a new congressional map unveiled by Texas

00:59Republicans. A map that could give the GOP five new House seats by redrawing districts

01:06in their favour. Backed by President Donald Trump, the plan would give Republicans control

01:12of up to 30 out of 38 seats in Texas.

01:16But here's the twist without a quorum. That is two thirds of the 150 member Texas House

01:22present. A vote can't happen. So what did 51 Democrats do? They ran out of state, literally.

01:30Live on the plane, breaking form. Because good trouble was necessary to stop this avid Trump

01:40takeover. This is racial gerrymandering. The reminiscent of the voter suppression days of Jim Crow.

01:48Now, Republican officials are furious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton posted on acts calling

01:55the Democrats car warts and vowing to hunt them down using every tool at our disposal.

02:03Arrest warrants could be on the table. Each lawmaker is facing $500 daily fines for their absence.

02:11But the Democrats aren't apologising. They argue the GOP map would silence millions of voters,

02:18especially in diverse urban areas like Austin and Austin.

02:24My name is Gene Wu. I'm the state rep from Houston. I'm also the minority leader in the Texas House.

02:28I lead the Democrats here. And what we're doing is not something that's easy. It's not something

02:33that we're doing because it's fun or because of any other reason. We're doing this because we don't

02:40have a choice. That this is the last tool that we have to stop Trump and to stop the destruction of

02:48our communities. This is not a fight for just Democrats or even Texans. This is a fight for all

02:56Americans. Because if this spreads everywhere, if politicians can simply stop listening to their

03:04people, it's over. Redistricting happens every 10 years after the census. But mid-decade

03:13redraws like this are rare. With the GOP holding a razor-thin majority in the US House, 219 seats to

03:21Democrats, 212. This map could shift the balance just in time for the 2026 midterms. So what's next for Texas?

03:30Will the Democrats' cross-state exodus work? Or will Republicans force them back and ram through

03:37the map?

Texas Redistricting WAR: Democrats Flee State to Block Republican's GOP Map |Abbott’s Vote Collapses

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