Over the weekend, more than 50 Texas Democratic lawmakers left the state to avoid Monday’s redistricting vote on congressional maps intended to add five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Of the dozens of Texas Democrats who left, most came to Illinois, where they were greeted by Gov. JB Pritzker. 

Pritzker used a Sunday press conference to publicly welcome the group of Texas Democratic lawmakers

“Tonight, along with the Speaker of the Illinois House, the President of the Illinois Senate and millions of Illinoisans, we are very pleased to welcome you and to stand in solidarity with you and send a clear message to all Americans,” Pritzker said at the press conference. “We will not let power go unchecked or let your voices and their voices go unheard.”

By leaving the state, Texas Democrats prevented the House from reaching a quorum on Monday as well as today. According to the Texas constitution, two-thirds of members must be present — something impossible with more than 50 lawmakers absent. Congressional district lines are required to be redrawn once a decade, making Texas’s attempt to redistrict in the middle of the decade unusual.

Texas Republican Rep. Todd Hunter denies that the maps were drawn with race in mind — but drawn with “political performance.” The map cuts up districts in the Houston, Austin and the Dallas areas to form the five new districts.

“Different from everyone else, I’m telling you, I’m not beating around the bush,” Hunter, the Republican carrying the bill, said. “We have five new districts, and these five new districts are based on political performance.”

This move comes amid a national battle around redistricting. In July, President Trump asked Texas Republicans to redraw maps to add Republican seats and preserve his majority. After Monday’s showdown, Democratic Governors including Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul all floated ideas to redistrict their own states. 

“Over the past few months, my political team and I have been in direct and regular contact with the Texas Democratic caucus,” Pritzker said. “Since Donald Trump came into office, he has taken calculated and explicit steps to grab unprecedented power and silence his dissenters … As his cruel agenda reared its ugly head, Trump saw his poll numbers tanking and has begun to see Republicans will likely lose control of Congress in 2026.”

Pritzker condemned Texas’s mid-decade redistricting effort as “rigging the system” and “corrupt,” and labeled the Texas Democrats’ effort as “a righteous act of courage.” Pritzker, who is running for  a third term as Illinois governor in 2026, has emerged as a potential candidate for the Democratic nominee for president. 

Illinois Senate Republican leader John Curran blasted Pritzker for his decision to host the Texas Democrats while supporting an allegedly gerrymandered map for Illinois’ own congressional lines.

“Texas Democratic legislators walking out to come to the most rigged state in the country at the invitation of a governor who broke his promise to voters not once, but twice, to create the most gerrymandered maps in the nation is the height of hypocrisy,” Curran said in a statement. “Governor Pritzker and his legislative allies have already rigged Illinois with a 14-3 Congressional map that is shameless in its attempt to remove choice from voters.”

When asked about Curran’s statement at the press conference, Pritzker defended his actions.

“Let me be clear, we passed a map in Illinois that follows the constitution, and that is not what Gov. Abbott is trying to do in Texas,” Pritzker said. “We believe that the people in Texas deserve to have fair representation and not to have the game changed in the middle of the decade.”

Gerrymandering based on partisanship is not illegal under the constitution. However, Democrats allege that the map in Texas draws districts based on race, which would make it illegal. Race-based gerrymandering is unconstitutional, per Supreme Court case Thornburg v. Gingles. 

“Traditionally, congressional maps are drawn in accordance with a new census every decade,” said Rep. Carol Ammons of the 103rd district, which encompasses Champaign-Urbana. “What Republicans in Texas are doing, in the middle of a decade, is openly rigging their state to skew Republican ahead of elections they’re afraid to lose. The proposed maps intentionally disenfranchise Black, Latino, and other communities in their state.”

Ammons praised the Texas Democrats for their “courage” and expressed her gratitude.

“They are stopping their governor and President Trump from an unprecedented seat-stacking project, and they do so at great personal and professional risk as Texas Republicans threaten their lives and livelihoods,” Ammons said.

According to Axios, Pritzker is not paying for the Texas lawmakers’ accommodation, but his office provided logistical support to find hotel rooms. As for the timeline, Texas Democrats say they are willing to stay in Illinois “as long as it takes.” 

In response, Texas Republicans issued civil arrest warrants for Texas Democrats who left the state — although they are unenforceable outside of state lines. Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest the Democrats, and also called on the Texas Rangers to investigate the Democrats for bribery. 

“Today, I ordered the Texas Rangers to immediately investigate fleeing Texas House Democrats for potential bribery and any other potential legal violations connected to their refusal to appear for a quorum, conduct business, and cast votes,” Abbott said in a statement. “That investigation should extend to anyone who aided or abetted such potential crimes.” 

**This is a developing story, check back for updates.** 

[email protected]