Late Sunday afternoon, dozens of Texas House Democrats boarded a charter flight at the Austin airport and absconded to the Land of Lincoln in an attempt to halt, if not stop altogether, Republicans’ heavy-handed scheme to redraw the state’s congressional map to increase the GOP advantage by as many as five seats.
Backed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who provided safe haven to the more than 50 members who fled, Texas House Dems are pledging to do anything and everything possible to stop the tilting of the playing field ahead of the 2026 midterms. Fleeing the state was about the only tool in their kit, a bid to deny the lower chamber the constitutionally required two-thirds of members to convene.
“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,” Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu said in a statement. “As of today, this corrupt special session is over.”
