Texas Democrats Evacuated After Bomb Threat at Illinois Hotel

Some of the Texas Democrats who fled the state to prevent Republicans from forming a quorum in the House were staying in a hotel in St. Charles, Illinois. This morning that hotel received a bomb threat forcing everyone to be evacuated.

Democratic state lawmakers who left Texas to block a Republican plan to redraw the congressional map, were evacuated from a suburban Chicago hotel Wednesday morning because of what police called a potential bomb threat.

The St. Charles, Illinois, police responded to a potential bomb threat at approximately 7:15 a.m. Central time at a hotel in the Chicago suburb, according to a statement by the department. The police, joined by the fire department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, conducted a search of the hotel and no device was found. Undersheriff Amy Johnson told The Washington Post that the officials cleared the scene two hours later. The St. Charles Police said 400 people were evacuated and, after the search, all hotel guests and staff were allowed to return…

The Texas lawmakers had tried to keep the location of where they were staying in Illinois from being made public over fears of harassment and threats. Most of the Texas Democrats who fled the state are in suburban Chicago, where they’ve been meeting with Pritzker and other party leaders.

Gov. Pritzker said the threat was made against the Texas Democrats.

I am aware of reports that threats were made against Texas elected officials in our state.

Threats of violence will be investigated and those responsible will be held accountable.

I have instructed @ILStatePolice to ensure we maintain public safety.

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) August 6, 2025

And one of the Texas Democrats blamed the threat on Texas Republicans.

This morning there was a bomb threat at our hotel. We were evacuated and everyone is safe.

This is what happens when Republican state leaders publicly call for us to be “hunted down.”

Texas Democrats won’t be intimidated. pic.twitter.com/DI9FtHY9nr

— Rep. John Bucy III (@BucyForTexas) August 6, 2025

Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu also issued a statement:

“This morning, a threat was made against the safety of the members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred,” the Democrats said. “We are grateful for [Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker], local, and state law enforcement for their quick action to ensure our safety.”

Back in Texas, Gov. Abbott is trying to have Wu removed from office.

In an appearance on Wednesday on conservative radio host Dana Loesch’s online show, Abbott said, “Those who are out of state think that they are beyond the reach of Texas law enforcement, and they may or may not be. But for one, when they come back, they’re not going to go to their cozy home; they will be arrested and taken to the Capitol.”…

Earlier Wednesday, Abbott urged the state Supreme Court to remove state Rep. Gene Wu, the chairman of the Texas House Democratic caucus.

Abbott argued that Wu has “forfeited” his office by fleeing the state along with other Democratic lawmakers to prevent the quorum necessary for the Texas House to vote on enacting the new GOP-proposed congressional map — with Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives potentially at stake.

The hypocrisy of Gov. Pritzker on this issue is so great that even partisan hack Stephen Colbert couldn’t avoid mentioning it last night.

Colbert asks @GovPritzker about Illinois’ very gerrymandered congressional districts: “It’s like the stinger on a scorpion down here.” pic.twitter.com/ayMIMyWMHA

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 6, 2025

Of course there were no tough questions from Colbert, not for a Democrat. But the Chicago Tribune pointed out how deep Pritzker’s hypocrisy goes.

Pritzker, who during his first term broke a campaign promise that he would veto any partisan redistricting plan for the Illinois General Assembly, has used the fight over Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting push to position himself as a defender of democratic norms and fair elections…

Pritzker used humor to deflect questions about Illinois’ own heavily gerrymandered congressional map. After Colbert quipped that U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski’s 13th Congressional District, drawn to elect a Democrat by stretching from Champaign-Urbana to the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis, looks “like the stinger on a scorpion,” Pritzker replied, “We handed it over to a kindergarten class and let them decide.”

In reality, Pritzker’s Democratic allies in the state legislature — including state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez of Cicero, whom he tapped to chair the state Democratic Party — drew the lines to cement their dominance in Springfield and in the state’s congressional delegation, even as Illinois lost one seat in the U.S. House.

It goes without saying that no one should be making bomb threats at Texas Democrats or anyone else. Hopefully this ridiculous stunt will come to an end fairly soon.