Texas Democrats again defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the state GOP and did not show up Friday for a vote on a controversial redistricting plan proposed by Republicans.
The GOP-proposed new congressional maps that would give Republicans more seats in Congress — potentially allowing the GOP to keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington.
Despite threats of arrest, losing their pay and other threats, calls from the governor, the majority of the Democrats did not appear for the special session when it started at 2 p.m. ET and no quorum was reached.
U.S. Congressional District maps are displayed as the Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting meets to hear invited testimony on Congressional plan C2308 at the Texas State Capitol on August 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu, the Texas House minority leader, earlier told ABC News Thursday that he believes his caucus would hold out on Friday and once again deny the legislature a quorum, though he said they would be willing to come back to Austin if state Republicans promise to focus solely on other issues before the special session, including flood mitigation and disaster preparedness.
Members who were present Friday do not have to return in person until Monday at 2 p.m. ET, when the Texas House Republicans will attempt to reach a quorum for the fourth time.
Democrats who have fled the state appear likely to stay away until Aug. 19, the end of the special session.
The defiance took place as Abbott has also requested the Texas Supreme Court to remove Wu from office. The court gave Wu until 6 p.m. ET Friday to respond to the governor’s case.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told Fox News on Friday that he is willing to take other Democrats to court if they don’t return.
“If they show up today, we’re all happy, we can get our business done, and everybody is good. If they do not show up, we will be in an Illinois courtroom … [trying] to get them back to the state of Texas, hold them in contempt, and if they refuse to come, hopefully put them in jail,” he said.
He shrugged off concerns that the optics of arresting Democrats would give them a public opinion win.
“I think in Texas — I don’t know what it’s like in other states, but I do know in Texas, people expect their representatives to go to work,” Paxton said.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows targeted the wallets of the absent members in an effort to draw them back.
On Thursday, he sent a memo to all members and their staff requiring that any member who is absent from the special session to break quorum must collect their monthly check in person. Direct deposits were suspended for those skipping out until the House reaches quorum, according to memo.
Burrows says that he expects more suits filed in other states to come after the one filed by Abbott Thursday to try to enforce the civil arrest warrants out of state, and that another legislator contacted the Sergeant at Arms of the Illinois House of Representatives asking for their assistance in bringing back members.
He added later that if the Department of Public Safety civilly arrests “our absent colleagues” during the weekend, legislators are on call and need to come back to Austin with a minimum of six hours’ notice.
Abbott has called for the Democrats’ arrest, and Republican Sen. John Cornyn has called on the FBI to track down those elected officials.
The governor said in a podcast released Friday that he was willing to go further than creating more than five new seats the GOP could flip if the Democrats continued to block.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump, first responders and local officials at Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, during a tour to observe flood damage, July 11, 2025.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
“We may make it six or seven or eight new seats we’re going to be adding on the Republican side,” he said during an interview on the podcast “Ruthless.”
In the meantime, the Texas Democrats have fled to various blue states, including Illinois and California.
Texas Rep. Gene Wu speaks in front of Democratic members of Congress and Texas House Democrats during a news conference, August 4, 2025 in Warrenville, Illinois.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is slated to hold a news conference with those Democrats Friday afternoon, along with Rep. Nancy Pelosi and California state Democrats to show their support.
“The governor and state leaders have floated a potential statewide ballot measure that would reaffirm California’s commitment to national independent redistricting and allow voters to temporarily adjust the state’s congressional map only if Texas or other GOP-led states manipulate theirs,” Newsom’s office said in a statement.
California Democrats are preparing to respond to Texas Republicans’ proposed new congressional districts by possibly targeting five GOP-held districts in the Golden State, sources recently confirmed to ABC station KGO-TV. But the office of the California Secretary of State told ABC News that if legislators don’t move fast, it becomes nearly impossible for the state to run a statewide election that meets federal standards.
ABC station KGO-TV’s Monica Madden contributed to this report.
