Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to remove Democratic lawmakers from office after more than 50 fled the state in protest of new congressional maps designed to give President Donald Trump five more GOP seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Abbott says if they don’t return by Monday, he’ll take legal action to declare their seats vacant, citing a 2021 nonbinding legal opinion. Fines of $500 per day are already piling up against the lawmakers.
The Democrats who fled to Illinois and New York say the new maps are blatant gerrymandering, and they’re not alone. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who welcomed them, says this isn’t just about Texas but about rigging the system nationwide for Trump’s second term.
Republicans currently hold 25 of 38 Texas congressional seats. The new map would increase that to 30. Democrats are playing hardball, issuing just four defiant words: “Come and take it.”
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
