Texas Democrats leave state in bid to block Trump-backed redistricting vote

Over 50 Texas Democrats fled the state Sunday in an attempt to prevent Republicans from holding a vote in the state House on a new congressional district map.Why it matters: They're responding to a President Trump-led proposal to redraw the districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that could net Republicans up to five seats. The Democrats face a $500 fine for every day they break quorum.Fleeing the state now could be politically risky as the vote was due to take place during the state Legislature's special session that was also called in response to last month's deadly flooding in Central Texas.What they're saying: "Governor Abbott has turned the victims of a historic tragedy into political hostages in his submission to Donald Trump," Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a Sunday statement."He is using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal," he said. "We're leaving Texas to fight for Texans. We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander," Wu added."We're not walking out on our responsibilities; we're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent. As of today, this corrupt special session is over."Flashback: Texas House Democrats have broken quorum twice in recent history — in 2021 to Washington, D.C., in response to proposed voting restrictions and to Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 2003 over redistricting.Both times only delayed the inevitable passage of the bills they had opposed.What we're watching: A large number of the Democrats were expected to arrive in Chicago Sunday and meet with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who last month hosted Texas state legislators in a strong show of support in the redistricting fight.Go deeper: Scoop: Dems are trying to stop a "nasty" internal battle in Texas

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