Pritzker says Texas Democrats who fled state will be protected amid arrest threats

(The Hill) – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said on Sunday that the state would protect Texas Democrats who fled to the Prairie State over GOP efforts to redraw the Lone Star State’s congressional maps.

“They’re here in Illinois. We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — ’cause we know they’re doing the right thing, we know that they’re following the law,” Pritzker told reporters at a press conference Sunday night held alongside the Texas state lawmakers. 

“It’s Ken Paxton who doesn’t follow the law. It’s the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law,” he continued. “They’re the ones that need to be held accountable.”

The Illinois governor’s comments came after Texas Democrats left their state to deny their GOP counterparts a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed to conduct business, during their special session. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called the special session in part to push forward a new congressional map that would give Republicans five more pick-up opportunities, something President Trump has been pushing for as the GOP braces for a potentially challenging midterm election next year.

A Texas House panel on Saturday advanced the set of maps, teeing them up for a vote on the House floor. Because Republicans enjoy majorities in both chambers and hold the governor’s mansion, the maps are all but assured to pass.

In a bid to stop those maps from passing, Texas Democrats fled the state, mainly traveling to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts — all blue strongholds.

Breaking quorum, however, means that each lawmaker incurs a daily penalty of $500 and the possibility of being arrested. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a post on X earlier Sunday argued that “Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”

Texas Democrats’ decision to leave the state — following a similar tactic they took in 2003 when Republicans engaged in mid-cycle redistricting — underscores how the party is looking to use all tools at their disposal to thwart Republicans from changing their election maps. 

“This is wrong, this is un-American and this is undemocratic,” said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D). “And America, we need to wake up. Republicans are stealing our democracy right before our very eyes.”

The redistricting battle is opening the possibility to a larger redistricting arms race as blue and red states alike leave the door open to changing their own congressional maps, which would sow uncertainty into next year’s midterms.

But the issue is also placing a spotlight on several potential 2028 hopefuls, including Pritzker and Govs. Gavin Newsom (D) and Ron DeSantis (R), who have all weighed in on the redistricting tit-for-tat.