What do you do when the game feels rigged? In Texas, you leave the state.
That’s exactly what 51 Democratic lawmakers did—fleeing to Illinois in a bold move to block a vote on a Republican-backed redistricting plan.
The proposed map, endorsed by Donald Trump, would carve out five new GOP-friendly districts.
With Republicans clinging to a slim majority in the U.S. House, that’s no small shift.
By law, two-thirds of Texas’s 150-member legislature must be present to vote.
The Democrats’ Exit?
A quorum-busting maneuver—one they say defends democracy, not avoids it.
“We’re walking out on a rigged system,” said Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu.
Republicans aren’t having it. Texas AG Ken Paxton called them “cowards” and vowed to “hunt down” the absentees.
Each could face $500 fines daily—and possible arrest.
But let’s not pretend Democrats are saints in this. In Illinois and New Mexico, they’ve gerrymandered districts with the same eagerness.
Still, in states like California and Colorado, independent commissions call the shots.
Texas’s new map could grow GOP control from 25 to 30 seats—redrawing districts in Austin, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley.
It’s not the first time Democrats have bolted. And unless something changes, it probably won’t be the last.
After all, if both sides keep rewriting the rules, who’s left to play fair?
