Governor Abbott orders arrest of a fleeing Texas Democrat
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of Democrats who left the state to block votes in districts that could support Republicans in Congress.
What began last week on Austin’s floor in Austin, Texas, quickly surged into multi-national standoffs with national impact as Lone Star constituency fights continue to bleed across the border.
Dozens of Texan Democrats fled to three blue states to vote for the proposed map.
Several democratic national leaders have joined the fight, and two GOP lawmakers recently announced efforts to take on the issue at the U.S. Capitol. President Donald Trump lent his opinion on the August 5 brawl as the battle for Republican Texas districts spreads across at least five states and attracts public attention.
Here’s how the Texas rezoning crisis swelled into state-state battles last week:
Illinois, New York and Massachusetts host Texas Democrats
The governors of Illinois, New York and Massachusetts host Democrats from Texas after fleeing from his hometown of state on Sunday, August 3rd. A massive absence from Congress should call for a new map vote that will likely pass through the GOP majority.
Under the new map, the Texas Legislative District in the metro area of Houston, Austin and Dallas will be redrawn, while a handful will be redrawn in southern Texas, creating five additional districts that will greatly support Trump in last year’s presidential election. Moreover, these new Republican-heavy districts are highly likely to go to GOP candidates in Congressional elections.
More than 67 Democrats from Texas had fled the state as of Tuesday, August 5th, with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered arrests – it is unclear whether they can work with Texas law enforcement and out-of-state law enforcement agencies to implement the arrest order.
The state threatens to redraw its map accordingly
New York and California are threatening to launch a kind of political arms race between Democrats and Republican states, threatening to launch their own district changes.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who doesn’t host Texas legislators, has joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and threatened to use the state’s overwhelming blue majority to counter the Texas Republican plans. Both governors lead two of the most powerful democracies.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference on Monday, August 4th, his plan was to “fight fires against fires,” and he would direct Democrats to advance efforts to redraw the Congressional districts of the most populous states if Texas moves forward on the proposed map. He said Democrats are moving forward with plans to develop a district change plan ahead of voters on November 4th.
At a press conference on the same day, Hochur discussed the possibility of a new map of her state.
“It’s war. We’re at war,” she said. “That’s why the gloves are off and I say, ‘Let it be on.’ ”
Republicans in Missouri, New York and California have proposed their own responses
In Red Missouri, a coalition of conservative GOP lawmakers in the state issued a statement on July 25th urging Gov. Mike Kehoe to call on his own district efforts, giving advantages to Republicans. Governor spokesman Gabby Picard told Politico on Tuesday, August 5 that Kehoe “provides a Congressional district that best represents Missouri people” and “always consider options” regarding the promotion of Map Redraw.
But not every GOP MP is riding on fighting another map along with one map. Two Republicans, Kevin Keeley of California and Mike Lawler of New York, have announced that they will introduce a bill to put national restrictions on all such partisan gerrymandering. Kylie’s proposal would ban mid-term rezoning, which is likely to surge Texas Republican efforts from New York and California and The-for-TAT proposals.
No matter what happens in Texas, the fight over the rezoning legislature will continue later this month in Ohio, with Republicans holding the vast majority in the state legislature.
Contributions: Philip M. Bailey, USA Today.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
