Texas Democrats receive threats after leaving the state

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Texas Democrats said they received threats after leaving the state to prevent Texas Republicans from re-drawing the state’s congressional districts. 

“We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred,” said the Texas House Democratic Caucus in a statement. 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he’s aware of threats to Texas Republicans in Illinois. 

Several Texas Republican House members fled to Illinois to avoid a vote on proposed maps to change the Texas Congressional districts before the 2026 elections. The Texas State Legislature, without all Democrats, didn’t have a quorum to pass legislation. 

President Donald Trump asked Texas lawmakers to change the maps to give Republicans five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Political scientists call it gerrymandering, when lawmakers change the lines on congressional districts to their advantage. 

“They’re going to have a hard time defending all the seats, which means, they’re saying, instead of defending all of them, can we go find more of them,” said George Washington University Political Science Professor Casey Burgat. 

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) said, if Texas moves forward with plans to re-draw congressional districts, he’ll ask voters to change California’s maps, too. 

Democrats said they’ll also try to change the maps in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois. New York’s state rules likely prevent it from changing the maps in a partisan way. Illinois is already considered one of the most gerrymandered states in favor of Democrats. 

Vice President JD Vance is trying to push Ohio and Indiana to reconsider their maps. Republicans have suggested they may try in Florida and Missouri, too. 

“Having a redistricting war break out across the country probably is not in anyone’s interest,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), one of the U.S. House members from California who’s seat could be at risk if California changes its districts. 

Kiley is sponsoring a bill to bar states from changing their maps before a new census is taken. 

Burgat said states usually wait until the census, every 10 years, to redraw the map. 

“Both parties are guilty of it, but now it has crept in as a very brazen, if not explicit technique to just benefit one party over the other,” Burgat said. 

Texas issued arrest warrants for the Democrats who left the state.