Pritzker says Texas Democrats who fled state will be protected amid arrest threats
'They're here in Illinois. We're going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — 'cause we know they're doing the right thing, we know that they're following the law,' Pritzker told reporters at a press conference Sunday night held alongside the Texas state lawmakers.
'It's Ken Paxton who doesn't follow the law. It's the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law,' he continued, calling out Texas's Republican attorney general by name. 'They're the ones that need to be held accountable.'
The Illinois governor's comments came after Texas Democrats left their state to deny their GOP counterparts a quorum — the minimum number of lawmakers needed to conduct business — during their special session. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called the special session in part to push forward a new congressional map that would give Republicans five more pickup opportunities, something President Trump has been pushing for as the GOP braces for a potentially challenging midterm election next year.
A Texas House panel advanced the set of maps Saturday, teeing them up for a vote on the House floor. Because Republicans enjoy majorities in both chambers and hold the governor's mansion, the maps are all but assured to pass.
In a bid to stop those maps from passing, Texas Democrats fled the state, mainly traveling to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts — all blue strongholds.
Breaking quorum, however, means each lawmaker incurs a daily penalty of $500 and the possibility of being arrested. Paxton argued in a post on the social platform X earlier Sunday that 'Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.'
Texas Democrats' decision to leave the state — following a similar tactic they took in 2003 when Republicans engaged in midcycle redistricting — underscores how the party is looking to use all tools at its disposal to thwart Republicans from changing the election maps.
'This is wrong, this is un-American and this is undemocratic,' state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) said. 'And America, we need to wake up. Republicans are stealing our democracy right before our very eyes.'
The redistricting battle is opening the possibility to a larger redistricting arms race as blue and red states alike leave the door open to changing their own congressional maps, which would sow uncertainty into next year's midterms.
But the issue is also placing a spotlight on several potential 2028 hopefuls, including Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who have all weighed in on the redistricting tit for tat.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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