Texas Democrats who left the state over redistricting efforts have returned to Austin.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus said that they returned to the state to “to launch the next phase in their fight against the racist gerrymander that provoked a weeks-long standoff with Governor [Greg] Abbott and President Trump,” Politico reported. Last week, the caucus said they would return if two conditions were met: the “Legislature’s adjournment sine die Friday” and the “introduction of California’s redistricting maps that would neutralize the Trump-Abbott voter suppression effort.”
“We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement, as per NBC News. “We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left. Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses.”
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder similarly stated that the House Democrats killed the Republicans’ “racist map,” which was “designed to allow Donald Trump to continue harming American citizens and the working class.”
“Texans can see that the Republicans would rather serve Trump than serve the interests of Texans. Like many of you, I am putting faith in our Texas House Democratic Caucus leadership that they are making the best choice to fight back against these maps,” Scudder added. “Whatever the path forward, you can count on the TDP to fight this map to the very end, because Donald Trump needs to run on his platform, not away from it.”
The Texas Senate approved the state’s new congressional map in a 19-2 vote last week. The vote followed nine Democratic senators leaving the chamber. The map now heads to the Texas House.
