Texas Democratic lawmakers have arrived in Illinois after fleeing their state to block a Republican redistricting vote that could add five new House seats for the GOP. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has pledged to welcome the lawmakers, vowing to support their efforts to prevent the vote, which is part of a broader GOP strategy to maintain control of the House. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers, who accuse the Democrats of hypocrisy, given Illinois’ own history of gerrymandering.
The redistricting push in Texas is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of the House and cushion losses elsewhere in the country. A veteran Republican strategist called the decision by most of the Democratic lawmakers to flee to Illinois ‘cartoonishly dumb,’ noting that the state is known for its extreme partisan gerrymandering. Republican Missouri Senator Eric Scmitt echoed this sentiment, stating that the move was ‘You can’t make this up.’ The move is seen as a dramatic political maneuver, with Texas’ conservative Governor Greg Abbott threatening fines and potential arrests for the fleeing lawmakers.
Pritzker, the two-term Illinois governor who is seen as a potential 2028 Democratic Party White House hopeful, has criticized Trump and Republicans for ‘cheating’ as they push for mid-decade redistricting. ‘Texas Democrats were left with no choice but to leave their home state to block a vote from taking place and protect their constituents. This is a righteous act of courage,’ the governor claimed. However, Republicans point to the move four years ago by Pritzker and Illinois Democrats to eliminate two Republican congressional seats in the state, which helped bolster the party’s strength. The state, which lost a seat in Congress due to population changes in the last census, went from 13 Democrats and 5 Republicans to 14 Democrats and 3 Republicans in their congressional delegation.
Democrats are slamming Trump and Texas Republicans for what they describe as a power grab, vowing to take legal action to prevent any shift in the current congressional maps. Meanwhile, Democrats in blue-dominated states are now trying to fight fire with fire. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently expressed support for an ambitious plan to try and gain at least five seats through redistricting, though the process would be complicated due to the state’s independent commission that is not supposed to be influenced by partisanship. Other blue states, including Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, are also considering similar changes to their maps, though some have redistricting limits enshrined in their state constitutions. Meanwhile, Ohio is required by law to redistrict this year, which could provide the GOP with up to three more congressional seats.