Democratic lawmakers in Texas returned to the state on Monday, ending a two-week walkout that blocked Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps. The move comes after Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu said the party had achieved its two main goals.
The first goal was to block a vote on new congressional maps, which Republicans had hoped to pass during their special legislative session. The second goal was to prompt other Democratic-led states, such as California, to consider redrawing their own maps to offset any seats Republicans might gain in Texas.
Wu said the return of Democrats would allow them to build a legal record to defeat the proposed map in court and take their message to communities across the state and country. Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, a Republican, gavelled in the session on Monday, with enough Democrats present to have a quorum.
Despite efforts by Republicans to secure the Democrats’ return, several party members bristled at being escorted out of the House chambers, calling it a “political stunt” that wasted public money. The move has set the stage for a potential showdown between Democrats and Republicans over redistricting in Texas and other states.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-democratic-lawmakers-end-walkout-setting-stage-vote-redrawn-map-2025-08-18