An attempt by Texas Republicans to hold a special session to redistrict Texas’ congressional maps to create five new Republican seats led many Texas Democrats to flee Texas to disrupt the special Texas House session by breaking quorum. By leaving Texas, the Democrats hope to keep the Republicans from enacting new GOP-friendly seats. The current special session is set to end on August 19.
To bring back the missing Democrats to allow the House session to resume, the Texas House voted on August 4 to issue arrest warrants for the missing Democrats. The warrants only allow Texas officials to force Democrats within the state to be returned to the capitol by Texas law enforcement. But the warrants do not carry civil or criminal charges and cannot be executed outside of Texas officials. GOP friendly governors may choose to assist in returning the wayward Democrats, but many of the Democrats have left to Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, where the governors there are unlikely to cooperate in returning them to Texas.
Greg Abbott has also directed the Texas Rangers to investigate if any of the missing Democrats are illegally raising funds to stay away from Texas.
The four El Paso Texas House representatives are Mary E. González (D-75), Joe Moody (D-78), Claudia Ordaz (D-79) and Vince Perez (D-77). Moody told KVIA that he decided to stay in Austin to “fight these corrupt maps in committee.” While Ordaz, according to the statement she issued to KVIA, has been “excused due to a personal health matter.” Ordaz added in her statement that she “strongly oppose[s] Texas’ unprecedented, discriminatory mid-decade redistricting scheme.”
Moody was named speaker pro tempore of the House and appointed to the House Congressional Redistricting, Criminal, Disaster, General Investigating, House Administration and Judiciary committees in February.
There have been three Texas House quorum breaks in 1979, 2003 and 2021. Internal divisions within the Democrats broke the 2021 quorum break. On August 9, 2021, three of El Paso’s Democrats; Art Fierro, Mary González and Joe Moody returned to Austin ending the Democrat’s quorum break. Moody had been removed as the House speaker pro tem when he left Austin in 2021.
Vince Perez confirmed that he is in Illinois through the El Paso Times. No word yet from González as to where she is currently.
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According to KXAN, González and Perez have left the state. Although KXAN lists Perez was breaking quorum, Ordaz has said that she has been excused due to medical reasons.
Beto O’Rourke Helps To Fund Democrat Exodus
The Democrats that are missing the session face $500 fines for each day they do not attend. Abbott has also threatened to have their seats declared vacant if they did not return by Monday. To cover the quorum breaking expenses and possible fines, the Powered By People PAC led by Beto O’Rourke has emerged as the top financial supporter for the Democrats that have fled the state. The PAC led by George Soros, Texas Minority PAC, is also helping the Democrats break quorum with their expenses. O’Rourke’s PAC also helped the Democrats during their quorum break in 2021.
Earlier this year, rumors began to surface that Beto O’Rourke is looking at running against for office in 2026. His PAC had $3.5 million at the end of 2024. It has around the same amount in cash as of the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission in June.
Yesterday, O’Rourke was at the University of Nebraska to make the case for the Democrats quorum breaking. O’Rourke has been holding regular university townhalls across the nation further fueling speculation that he will be running against for office next year.