Rep. Jasmine Crockett could soon be left without a congressional district to represent, and fellow Democrat lawmakers are planning to flee the state to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Republican lawmakers in Texas are pushing a redistricting plan that would place Crockett’s Dallas-based district outside of her residency, effectively removing her from contention under the state’s eligibility rules.
The proposed changes come in the wake of a July letter from the U.S. Department of Justice, which argued that four Texas congressional districts were drawn using racial considerations.
All four districts targeted by the DOJ are currently held by Democrats following the 2024 elections.
President Donald Trump wasted no time after the DOJ’s involvement, publicly calling on Texas Republicans to revise the state’s congressional maps to provide Republicans with a stronger footing in the 2026 midterms.
Texas Rep. Todd Hunter, the GOP lawmaker spearheading the redistricting proposal, described the new lines as competitive and inclusive.
“It is important to note that four of the five new districts are majority minority, Hispanic,” Hunter said.
He added that the districts “now trend Republican” but made clear that the outcome remains dependent on candidate performance.
“Political performance doesn’t guarantee electoral success; that’s up to the candidates. But it does allow Republican candidates the opportunity to compete in these districts.”
Rep. Crockett blasted the proposal during a recent interview on SiriusXM with host Zerlina Maxwell.
She alleged that the plan was designed to silence Black and Latino voters in order to maintain political dominance.
Crockett accused the GOP of orchestrating a broader agenda rooted in racial power dynamics.
“They have decided that the only way that they can bring about this white supremacy agenda is by diluting the voices of people of color,” she told Maxwell.
Crockett claimed the Department of Justice was acting as an extension of the Trump White House, saying it was “going out to do the bidding of this Temu Hitler.”
She accused Trump of trying to eliminate minority voices from government altogether.
She believes that Trump wants to ensure “those voices of color do not have representation,” suggesting that the redistricting map was crafted to strip away hard-fought political influence from minority communities.
Crockett also slammed the Republican Party, claiming groups like the Proud Boys and neo-Nazis are now openly aligning themselves with GOP candidates and causes.
On Friday, the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting advanced House Bill 4 along party lines, triggering an immediate backlash from Democrats.
Members of the minority party began strategizing ways to prevent a full chamber vote from taking place.
“The choice was clear: Stand by while Abbott silences millions of Black and Latino voters, or use every tool available to stop this assault on our democracy. This corrupt special session is over,” the Texas Democrats declared in a statement.
The choice was clear:
Stand by while Abbott silences millions of Black and Latino voters, or use every tool available to stop this assault on our democracy.This corrupt special session is over.#txlege pic.twitter.com/zjs2Qz4nku
— Texas House Democrats (@TexasHDC) August 3, 2025
To conduct official legislative business, the Texas House requires 100 members present.
Republicans control 88 seats, while Democrats hold 62. If enough Democrats are absent, the GOP will be left unable to move the legislation forward.
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said Democrats aren’t taking the decision to break quorum lightly.
“This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,” Wu stated.
He accused Gov. Greg Abbott of playing politics with minority communities at Trump’s direction.
“Governor Abbott has turned the victims of a historic tragedy into political hostages in his submission to Donald Trump. He is using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal.”
Wu also warned against complacency, saying, “Apathy is complicity, and we will not be complicit in the silencing of hard-working communities who have spent decades fighting for the power that Trump wants to steal.”
Democrats pulling this maneuver may face a financial penalty. Under a 2021 House rule passed after a previous quorum walkout, lawmakers can be fined $500 for each day they fail to report for work.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows issued a warning in a post on X about potential consequences for those refusing to attend.
“The Texas House will be convening at 3:00pm tomorrow,” he wrote. “If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table. . .”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for authorities to locate and detain any Democratic lawmakers who intentionally avoided the Capitol.
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” he wrote.
“We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
Meanwhile, state Rep. James Talarico, another Democrat, took to social media to declare that many in his party had already fled the state.
“My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab. Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us,” he said in a lengthy thread.
My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.
It’s time to fight back. pic.twitter.com/xOshwmy2eA
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) August 3, 2025
In a video clip accompanying the post, Talarico said the newly drawn districts were intentionally manipulated to lock in Republican control.
“They’re turning our districts into crazy shapes to guarantee the outcome they want in the 2026 elections,” he remarked.
“If this power grab succeeds, they will hang on to power without any accountability from the voters. But Texas Democrats are fighting back.”
A vote on the House redistricting bill could occur as early as Tuesday, assuming Republicans are able to reestablish quorum in time.
