Texas Republicans Weigh Ramping Up Consequences for Runaway Dems

Texas state House Democrats again failed to show up to vote on Friday, putting on hold the special session to redistrict the Lone Star State and add potentially five more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrats fled the state on Aug. 3 in order to deny a quorum—the number of representatives required to be present for debate to proceed. That has frozen House activity ever since.

“The Texas House needs to take every measure to ensure that this partisan denial-of-a-quorum practice is ended,” Republican state Rep. Brent Money told The Daily Signal about the Democrats’ absences.

 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has promised to keep calling special sessions as long as it takes till the Democrats return.

So far, Republicans have tried to wrangle them back to Austin by a variety of means: $500 daily fines, threats of removal from office, noncriminal warrants for their arrest, and lawsuits filed by the governor and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

But Texas state House Republicans told The Daily Signal that none of those seem to be working yet. Here’s where the Texas redistricting effort stands:

Are Republicans Doing Anything to Get Dems Back?

Rep. Brian Harrison, a conservative firebrand in the Texas House who often harshly criticizes his Republican colleagues, told The Daily Signal that Republicans’ retaliatory measures have been all bark and no bite.

“We were promised their seats would be vacated by the governor. We were promised the arrests would be made by our speaker [Dustin Burrows]. Not one of these Democrats have lost their [committee] chairmanships. And yes, the Democrats chair committees in the Texas House,” said Harrison. 

“They haven’t lost seniority. They haven’t been pulled off committees. Hell, we haven’t even touched their parking spots,” he added.

Of the $500 fines, he told The Daily Signal, “They’re not going to be paid. There’s no enforcement mechanism on it. The Democrats have already said they’re not going to pay them, and there’s no way to make them.”

The governor and the speaker’s offices did not respond to requests for comment on those criticisms.

Money shares those concerns:

I think we’ve proven that the fines are not effective … I think that the actions taken by the governor and Attorney General Paxton can be a deterrent in the future, but legal processes take time.

And so, unless and until the Supreme Court acts and rules on these cases, we won’t know whether they’re viable.

Money told The Daily Signal he was still not sure whether House Republican leadership had done all it could to bring back the Democrats, although he gave them some credit.

“I think the jury is still out on that,” he said. “I would expect that by the time that we do have a quorum, that is when we need to have discussions about accountability for them leaving this time and future deterrence … . Overall, the demeanor and resolve of the speaker has seemed to be very strong, but we haven’t had an opportunity to fully realize the actions yet.”

Republican Rep. Daniel Alders had a sympathetic view of Republican leadership’s actions.

“This will be the first time that fines and penalties are actually enforced,” he told The Daily Signal. “The speaker means business, and we’re not going to just put a slap on the wrist of those who are breaking quorum.”

When Will Democrats Return?

Alders suggested that Democrats would likely be returning soon after their two-week hiatus. Democrats have already shown openness to returning to Austin in recent statements.

“The operating theory right now is that we will be here on Monday, and there will be a quorum, and we will get to work,” Alders said. 

“They [the Democrats] feel like they ran the clock out on the first special [session], and they raised the issue nationally, and so they got a win. That’s what they claim. The reality is, they’ve increased the resolve of Republicans and conservatives in the Texas Legislature,” he said.

Will Republicans Go for 10 Seats?

Amid Democrats’ long absence, as well as a new attempt from a defiant California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom to redraw his state’s map in response, some Republicans are now suggesting pursuing an even more aggressive redrawing of the U.S. House map.

“Let’s fight fire with fire. For every week the Democrats are gone, we’re adding one more red seat to the map,” said Harrison. “I actually think the map should be at least plus-seven at this point. Let’s redo them. Add more seats.”

Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach has likewise advocated on the social media platform X for adding “9-10 seats” for Republicans, and Abbott has as well.

This would be a major pivot, as the Texas state Senate has already passed a bill nearly identical to a House bill which would likely win five Republican seats.

“If we’re able to get work on Monday … I think we can move forward with the existing maps,” Rep. Alders told The Daily Signal. “But if we continue to see shenanigans from our colleagues across the aisle, then I think there would definitely be a conversation about leveling up the pressure.”

Money said he had not been involved in the discussions “other than what people are speculating about on social media.”

On Friday, Rep. Todd Hunter, who filed the original map rewrite bill, refiled it with slight alterations that do not affect the overall impact.

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