Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he will continue to call special sessions of his state Legislature until a new congressional map is passed, telling Democrats who broke quorum they would need to stay away for years to prevent its approval.
“But I’ll tell you this also, Democrats act like they’re not going to come back as long as this is an issue,” Abbott said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday. “That means they’re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I’m going to call special session after special session after special session with the same agenda items on there.”
Texas is one of the states locked in an escalating redistricting battle after President Donald Trump urged Republican leaders to redraw congressional maps, with the end goal creating additional GOP-friendly districts that could help the party maintain its House majority in Washington. Democratic states like California have vowed to retaliate.
Over 50 Democrats bolted from Texas to prevent a vote on a gerrymandered map that would give Republicans up to five more seats in the House. Abbott has tried multiple tactics to bring the decamped Democrats back, including working with the FBI to have them arrested — though the state lawmakers have broken no federal laws — and working to remove them from office.
“All I can say is we’re going to use every tool that we can to make sure that these runaway Democrats are going to be held accountable,” he said.
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