For the second week, Texas Democrats are staying in Illinois to avoid voting on redistricting back home that could strengthen a Republican majority in Washington.
The lawmakers say they’re committed to their position on the proposed maps despite bomb threats made last week to the suburban hotel where they were staying.
“My colleagues and I have endured racist attacks, frivolous lawsuits and relentless harassment: all of this because we dared stand up to corrupt politicians in DC. But we will not be intimidated,” said Texas State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Plano.
At a news conference Monday in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, a reporter asked lawmakers to raise their hand if their families are being watched by law enforcement back home in Texas. Every lawmaker said their family was being watched.
Texas Republicans want to redraw the legislative maps in their state to add five GOP-leaning seats to the party’s tally in Congress. President Donald Trump has said he’s entitled to those seats because he won the state of Texas.
Redistricting is based on population, not vote totals, but parties routinely use redistricting maps to strengthen their numbers and to protect their majorities in states like Texas, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Texas’ special legislative session ends Aug. 19, so it’s likely Democrats will stay away from their state until then. However, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will continue to call further special sessions after that. Abbott has warned Democrats they’ll be arrested if they come back to Texas.
“Democrats act like they’re not going to come back as long as this is an issue. That means they’re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I’m going to call special session after special session after special session with the same agenda items on there,” Abbott told NBC News in an interview Thursday.
“Keep in mind that it costs a lot of money to call a special session, but what also costs a lot of money is sending four unmarked officers, agents to my home where you know I have special needs children and a husband who has PTSD, and you know I’m not in the state,” said Texas State Rep. Josey Garcia, D-San Antonio.
At a different news conference, Illinois Latino legislative leaders stood alongside Texans, as they called the plan to redraw the maps “Abbott’s racial gerrymandering scheme.” They said Texas has the largest African-American population and second largest Latino population in the country, and changes to the legislative maps would unfairly target big cities like Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin.
“The same game here is not just about moving lines and rigging elections but completely removing Latino representation from the map. Let me be clear: any political games or stunts to dilute our power is unconstitutional and, worse than that, it’s plain un-American. We’re standing together sounding the alarm to Latinos: Our rights are under attack,” said U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Illinois.
The Texas redistricting fight also placed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in the national spotlight as he invited the lawmakers to Chicagoland. Pritzker called Trump a “cheater,” but he’s also facing criticism for Illinois’ legislative maps. The independent Princeton Gerrymandering Project graded Illinois’ maps an “F.” Republicans only hold three Congressional seats out of seventeen, despite Trump winning 44 percent of the state’s vote in last year’s presidential election.
Illinois Republicans have slammed the legislative maps and called for an independent redistricting commission.
NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Pritkzer about the issue on Sunday’s Meet the Press.
“What do you say to those who argue it’s hypocritical for you to criticize Texas for partisanship when your state also drew maps to boost your party’s standing?” Welker asked.
“Well, remember that what Texas is trying to do is again violate the Voting Rights Act. We didn’t. We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map. And a map was passed and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census. So that’s how it’s done in this country,” Pritkzer responded.
The Illinois map is not scheduled to be redrawn until 2031 and Pritzker said Monday he has “no desire” to redraw them until then.
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