“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday ordered the civil arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a vote on a Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan, escalating a standoff that has stalled the legislative session.” — CBS News
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President Trump has asked me to redraw the Texas congressional district map to secure five more House seats for Republicans. Texas has always been a state defined by our rugged independence. That’s why, as governor of Texas, it is my job to do whatever President Trump thinks will protect our liberties. I can’t think of anything more Texan than obeying a powerful man in Washington, DC, in the name of individual freedoms.
Sadly, Texas Democratic legislators are trying to undermine these efforts by fleeing the state in order to break quorum. It’s despicable that these elected officials would hightail it out of Texas right when the electorate needs them the most. A Republican would never do that.
Democrats did the same thing in 2021 when they tried to block our efforts to secure our elections. They refused to acknowledge that the best way to prevent someone from voting illegally is to prevent them from voting at all. Just as I did then, I plan to bring these fugitive officials to heel. I have tasked Attorney General Ken Paxton with carrying out their civil arrests. As the Texan with the most experience on both sides of the law, he’s the perfect man for the job.
The fact that Democrats are using a tactic with over a century of legal precedent does not mean it isn’t unlawful. Political gamesmanship should be strictly reserved for righteous causes, like when Republicans do it.
These Texas Democrats are trying to turn gerrymandering into a political Rorschach test. Where we see routine policy, they see an attempt to disenfranchise voters. That could not be further from the truth. Even if most of the new districts we drew do admittedly look a lot like actual Rorschach tests.
We cannot let Democrats grab power by denying us the opportunity to grab power. The partisan gerrymandering we’re engaging in is perfectly legal. And just because many of those new districts happen to be drawn, with almost surgical precision, along racial lines, does not mean we are depriving Black and Brown people of political representation. It’s not our fault if certain ethnic groups don’t vote for Republicans because they hate our policies. There are plenty of Black Republicans, for example, who understand that we’re the right party for Black America. Just ask Candace Owens or former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.
Our noble effort to skew the congressional map in our favor has implications far beyond Texas politics. If Democrats take back the House in 2026, they will have the power to certify the 2028 election. We must avoid a repeat of 2020. We cannot let the left subvert democracy by thwarting our attempts to overturn any election where they get more votes.
For that reason, I am prepared to forcibly remove these rogue lawmakers, if necessary. Sometimes the only way to preserve representative democracy is to remove democratically elected representatives.
We must do whatever it takes to support partisan gerrymandering efforts at least until California starts doing it. Then we’ll scream bloody murder.
