Barack Obama praises Texas Democrats’ fight as they signal return to state

Texas Democrats, fresh off encouragement from Barack Obama, are poised to return to their state as Governor Greg Abbott formally called a second special session to address redistricting on Friday.

Abbott issued the proclamation for the special session, set to begin at noon local time on Friday, just two hours after lawmakers formally adjourned the first one. Democrats have spent nearly two weeks away from the state, denying Republicans a quorum to conduct legislative business and pass new congressional maps.

“Special Session #2 begins immediately,” Abbott said in a post on X. “There is critical work that is left undone. Texas will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job.”

Earlier on Friday, the speaker of the Texas house of representatives, Dustin Burrows, ended the first special session. “Do not go very far, as I believe our governor will be calling us back for another special session very, very soon,” he said just before hearing the motion to adjourn.

Obama spoke to the Texas Democrats via video on Thursday, praising them for fighting against the redistricting plan. He told them they should return to Texas “feeling invigorated” and with the knowledge that they helped lead what will be a long fight. Former attorney general Eric Holder also joined the call.

“We can’t let a systematic assault on democracy just happen and stand by and so because of your actions, because of your courage, what you’ve seen is California responding, other states looking at what they can do to offset this mid-decade gerrymandering,” he said, according to ABC News.

Abbott has pledged he will call consecutive special sessions until Democrats have returned. More than 50 Democrats left the state last month in order to deny a quorum in the legislature after Republicans announced plans to redraw the state’s congressional maps, at the request of Donald Trump, in order to gain five Republican seats.

Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas Democratic caucus, said in a statement on Thursday that Democrats would return as long as the first special session adjourned on Friday and California introduced its own new congressional map to offset the gains by Republicans. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, announced on Thursday that its maps would be coming shortly.

“Under the advice of legal counsel, Democrats must return to Texas to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle against a map that violates both the current Voting Rights Act and the Constitution,” the Texas Democratic caucus said in a statement.

At least one Texas house member, Ann Johnson of Houston, said she was returning to Texas.

“I am proud of what we accomplished,” she said in a statement. “We ended a session that had nothing to do with helping Texans and everything to do with silencing them. And we exposed the truth behind the governor’s political agenda: to hijack the maps, erase opposition and decide the next election before a single vote is cast.

“Now, with that session behind us, I’m returning to Texas to continue the fight – from the floor of the house.”

Republicans already represent voters in 25 of the state’s 38 congressional districts. Abbott called a special session last month to redraw the map to add five Republican seats, and the new map, unveiled at the end of July, would do just that.

Republicans hold a three-seat majority in the US House and are seeking to add seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the incumbent president’s party typically does not perform well.

Texas Republicans have been trying to ratchet up the pressure on Democrats to return to the state, seeking to cut off funding for their travel and filing long-shot legal bids to have them removed from office.

The Texas effort comes as Newsom plans to push ahead with an effort to redraw his state’s congressional map to add five additional Democratic seats there. Newsom will need to get California voters to approve his proposal through a referendum this fall because California’s constitution requires redistricting to be done through an independent redistricting commission. On Thursday, he called on state lawmakers to approve the ballot measure.

Republicans are expected to push ahead with efforts to redraw maps to add seats in Ohio, Florida, Missouri and potentially Indiana.