Texas state Rep. Aicha Davis mentioned she packed a few baggage for her one-way journey to Chicago.
“I’m able to be right here for nonetheless lengthy this takes,” the Dallas-area Democrat instructed the Solar-Instances on Monday. “So long as it takes.”
Davis is among the many dozens of Democratic Texas state legislators taking refuge in Illinois to disclaim Lone Star Republicans the quorum wanted to vote on new legislative maps that will favor extra GOP members within the midterm election, probably smoothing the way in which for President Donald Trump’s agenda to advance in Congress.
“I completely can’t enable for the individuals in my space and throughout Texas to lose their voice and their vote, and so I’m simply prepared to do no matter it takes,” Davis mentioned. “I really feel unhealthy that we needed to get so far due to what’s occurring with the decision for redistricting in Texas — and I actually, actually really feel unhealthy as a result of we had these horrible July 4th floods after we misplaced over 100 Texans. As a substitute of specializing in that, right here we’re.”
Nevertheless it’s what her occasion needed to do to combat maps drawn exterior the same old post-census interval that will wipe out two majority-Black districts in Texas, based on Davis. You’re taking away half the vote for Black Texans, and that’s unacceptable,” she mentioned.
At a information convention on the IBEW Native 701 headquarters in Warrenville, Monday evening, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi known as the scenario a “man-made disaster for democracy” whereas standing alongside a number of the 40 Texas Democrats taking refuge in Illinois.
However he additionally mentioned it was an opportunity for Democrats to point out constituents they’re prepared to face up towards Republican incursions into political norms after criticisms of responses by Democrats to latest energy grabs from Trump and state Republicans.
“We now have to acknowledge we’re at this crossroads,” Krishnamoorthi instructed the Solar-Instances on Monday evening. “Democrats can both play good, or we will say in the event that they go down that path, two can play at that recreation.”
U.S. Rep. Al Inexperienced warned of additional penalties if Trump and Texas Republicans weren’t stopped.
“It’s not simply Texas, it’s america of America,” Inexperienced mentioned.
Texas Home Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos mentioned that though she wasn’t positive how the connection to Illinois was made, ideological alignment and powerful assist from Gov. JB Pritzker introduced them right here.
That assist prolonged to motion — Krishnamoorthi mentioned if federal or Texas authorities have been to aim to return after them, Illinois officers have been prepared to step in. The Republican-dominated Texas Home on Monday issued civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers to assist discover and arrest them, however lawmakers bodily exterior Texas are past the jurisdiction of state authorities.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly mentioned what Texas Republicans try “impacts the entire nation,” including that if Texas Republicans are in the end profitable in redistricting, Democrats in states like Illinois can be prepared to do the identical to counteract it. It echoes what occasion members from different states, corresponding to California, have mentioned in latest days.
“Keep so long as you need,” Kelly mentioned. “We imagine in what you’re doing. … We’re able to combat fireplace with fireplace.”
Pritzker, who welcomed the Texas Democrats on Sunday evening, is in Boston this week for the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures. A marketing campaign spokesperson mentioned Pritzker “will proceed to highlight Trump’s Texas Takeover with legislators from throughout the nation.”
Like different Democratic governors together with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Pritzker has mentioned he’s open to remodeling Illinois’ legislative maps — which already closely favor Democrats — to carve out extra seats to retaliate towards GOP-led states that accomplish that.
Illinois Republican Social gathering Chair Kathy Salvi known as that hypocrisy, claiming Pritzker “gerrymandered Illinois’ maps to hell and again, creating one of the partisan maps in historical past” with districts authorised by Democratic supermajorities in Springfield in 2021.
“As a substitute of standing on his personal political soapbox, Pritzker can lead the cost towards gerrymandering by getting his personal home so as and fixing Illinois’ rigged maps,” Salvi mentioned in a press release.
Pritzker has countered that although Illinois Democrats authorised maps within the 12 months after U.S. Census outcomes have been launched, Texas Republicans have been “dishonest mid-decade by rewriting the foundations as a result of their cult chief Donald Trump tells them to do it.”
Pritzker on Sunday recommended the Texas Democrats for answering “one of the difficult calls of public service that has ever been requested of you.”
“You’ve needed to depart behind your households, your full-time jobs, your communities, and you probably did it to guard the voting rights of the individuals that you just signify and voters all throughout this nation,” Pritzker mentioned. “We’re very happy to welcome you and to face in solidarity with you and ship a transparent message to all People: we won’t let energy go unchecked or let your voices and their voices go unheard.”
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stopped in need of calling for Illinois to “combat fireplace with fireplace” and map out districts that will increase Illinois Democrats’ 14-3 benefit within the state’s congressional delegation.
Trump was “ready to remove districts that at the moment are marginally minority districts and that’s troubling to me,” Durbin mentioned at an unrelated information convention Monday. “So far as Gov. Pritzker is worried, I don’t know what his intentions are, however like him, I wish to go together with all of the choices.”
As for Davis and her fellow Texans, she says they’re not fearful about $500-per-day civil fines she and her colleagues face, or Abbott’s issuance of arrest warrants for the fleeing Democrats.
“There’s a whole lot of various things they’re threatening us with, however the one factor they’re not saying is that, sure, there are some points with this map that we have to take a look at,” Davis mentioned. “We had hearings across the state, and 99% of the oldsters who got here and testified, tons of of individuals, mentioned that they didn’t like what was occurring with these maps.”
Contributing: Tina Sfondeles, AP
