Opposite to the electoral redistribution defended by the Republicans in Texas and called their wishes for Donald Trump, the elected Democrats of the House of Representatives of this State opted this Sunday, August 3 for a radical solution: fleeing the state.
According to media such as The Washington Post or Political, about fifty of them crossed the Texas borders and joined Illinois mainly. The objective is not to participate in the vote on Monday, organized as part of a special session convened by Governor Greg Abbott.
This vote aims to rediscover the electoral card to promote Republican candidates who will appear for a headquarters in Congress. Currently, the elected officials of the “Grand Old Party” occupy 25 of the 38 teams of Texans in the House of Representatives. The new contours would allow Republicans to obtain five more, which could be capital for the mid -period elections that will be held in November 2026.
For Trump, avoid a “remake” 2018
Currently, Republicans have a very short majority, with 219 seats of 435. The middle of the period elections are generally not very favorable for the president’s camp, the risk of losing their hands in the representatives chamber is, therefore, excellent for the party and for Donald Trump. The US President had experienced a disappointment of this order during his first term in 2018.
But for this redistribution to become reality, it is still necessary for the Texas House of Representatives to pronounce in their favor. For a vote to take place in this assembly, at least two thirds of the 150 elected officials are present to reach the quorum. Democrats who are in the minority but still have 62 seats, their absence theoretically avoids the adoption of the slightest bill.
Fleeing in Texas “is not a decision that we make lightly, but this is a decision that we make with absolute moral clarity,” said Gene Wu, president of the group of elected Democrats.
“We are not giving up our responsibilities,” he added. “We abandon a manipulated system that refuses to listen to the citizens we represent.”
The governor threatens
However, the decision of the democrats chosen to leave Texas so as not to have to participate in the vote, however, exposes them to a fine of up to $ 500 (432 euros) per day of absence. The Supreme Court of Texas also ruled in 2021 that representatives of the House of Representatives could physically force elected officials absent to present themselves.
Democrats who “try to flee as cowards must be found, arrested and returned to the Capitol immediately,” threatened Texas Attorney Ken Paxton.
For its part, in a statement published on Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott threatened to request the dismissal of Democratic representatives who left the State. “It is necessary to end this unjustified absence,” he summarized.
This is not the first time that Tejanos Democrats have used this strategy to block a reform. But in 2003, already for a text about an electoral redistribution, as well as in 2021, this did not prevent the bills from finally being adopted.
Then it is still the weapon of the response for the Democrats. Several Democratic governors have announced their intention to review the drawing of the electoral card in their state. This is the case, for example, of Gavin Newsom, California. But unlike Texas, where the legal process allows relatively easy redistribution easily, democratic states have for many implementing legislative or even constitutional safeguards to complicate this process.
Source: BFM TV
