ROOKE: Democrats Roll Out Sneaky Playbook Year After Year. Now They’ve Met Their Match As Governor Lays Out Threat

As the 2026 midterms quickly approach, Democrats and Republicans are searching for ways to increase their chances of winning control of Congress, making the addition of House seats through redistricting a top priority.

The Texas state legislature announced that it will introduce a bill to redistrict its U.S. Congressional districts, adding six House seats that would seemingly benefit Republican candidates.

Democrats across the country, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, criticized the move, claiming that Republicans were canceling Democratic voters by gerrymandering their district map. Democrat Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett claimed that Republicans were harming minority voters with the move.

Despite criticism and threats from blue states to redistrict their congressional districts, Texas state Republicans plan to move forward with their redistricting bill. That’s when all the drama started. News spread Saturday that state Democrats had once again fled the state to avoid giving the Texas state House a quorum to vote on the bill.

The Texas House Democrats are not only cowards—they’re also shameless hypocrites. https://t.co/NR3NWwyhCO

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

This is not new from Texas Democrats. Since 2020, state Democrats have made the same move three times. On May 30, 2021, Democrats walked out of the House at midnight to break the quorum and avoid voting on Texas SB 7, which focused on election integrity and security.

In response, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session to force Democrats back into the chamber. However, when the bill came up for another House floor vote, state Democrats broke quorum again by jumping on a chartered flight to Washington, D.C., on July 12, 2021. It took over a month before Democrats were forced to give Republicans a quorum in the Texas House. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

Democrats are trying to do this again. On Aug. 3, at least 51 Democrats flew to Illinois to prevent the Texas House from reaching a quorum to vote on the new redistricting bill.

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

But this time is different. Abbott doesn’t seem willing to allow state Democrats the month-long publicity stunt before requiring them to come back to work. Instead, on Sunday, the Texas governor released a fiery statement notifying delinquent Democrats of the consequences should they refuse to attend the House vote at 3:00 p.m. Monday.

“This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025. For any member who fails to do so, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House,” Abbott warned, adding that he has the power to “swiftly fill” their empty seats. (Trump’s Unprecedented And Bold Plan To Protect Americans Rattling US’s Biggest Foes)

“In addition to abandoning their offices, these legislators may also have committed felonies. Many absentee Democrats are soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules. Any Democrat who ‘solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept’ such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws. See TEX. PENAL CODE § 36.02,” Abbott stated.

BREAKING: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued an ultimatum to House Democrats:

Return by 3 PM tomorrow or face having their seats declared vacant and replaced. pic.twitter.com/94uDRH6jAY

— Patrick Webb (@RealPatrickWebb) August 4, 2025

The Texas governor didn’t end with threatening state Democrats with felonies and removal from office. He added that any person who funds this charade will also be subjected to felony charges and promises to use his “full extradition authority to demand the return to Texas of any potential out-of-state felons.”

There is no reported claim that Abbott received a call from the White House or U.S. House Republican leadership to end this Democrat power play immediately. Last time, it took over a month for Abbott and Texas Republicans to get their Democrat counterparts back to work.

Whatever the cause, Republicans seem to have found their backbone and have no issue using the power given to them by the voters to get important legislative work done.

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