Texas Democrats return as redistricting standoff ends

WASHINGTON

Texas Democrats who fled the state amid a standoff with Gov. Greg Abbott returned Monday, ending their effort to block a Republican push to aggressively overhaul Texas' congressional district map.

The Democratic lawmakers fled the state two weeks ago as Abbott sought to have the state legislature approve a new congressional district map that would hand Republicans five new seats in Congress. Their departure blocked the Texas House from achieving the quorum it needed to hold the vote.

Abbott on Friday convened a special legislative session to attempt to pass the new redistricting plan, but was stymied by the Democratic maneuvering. He immediately called a second session that could last for up to 30 days.

Democrats had conditioned their return on the end of the first special session and California releasing its new congressional map to offset the Republican effort.

"When Republicans tried to silence minority voters through racist gerrymandering, Texas House Democrats answered the call. After rallying Americans to join this existential battle for democracy, we're returning to Texas on our terms — ready to build the legal record needed to defeat these unconstitutional maps in court," Texas House Democrats said on American social media platform X.

California unveiled its proposed map on Friday, which would hand Democrats five additional seats in the overwhelmingly liberal state. The California state legislature is slated to convene Monday to begin the process of implementing the overhaul.