Texas Democrats return to Capitol as GOP redistricting fight intensifies

(CNN)- Chants of “This is what democracy looks like” rang through the Texas State Capitol as several House Democrats returned Monday after a weeks-long standoff. Supporters lined the halls, cheering and waving signs as lawmakers made their way back into the chamber.

With their arrival, House Speaker Dustin Burrows declared, “A quorum is present,” ending the legislative standstill. Democrats had fled the state in an effort to block Republican-led redistricting plans, which they say were pushed by President Donald Trump and designed to create five additional GOP-leaning congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

In California, Democratic lawmakers are weighing a similar tactic. A proposed measure there could trigger new congressional maps aimed at securing five more Democratic seats. Texas Rep. Gene Wu emphasized the strategy is conditional: “Those are trigger bills. They’re not redistricting. Those are saying we will only redistrict if Texas does this.”

One condition for the Texas Democrats’ return was that California Democrats introduce their own proposal. Meanwhile, Republicans secured their own condition — that Democrats remain in attendance when the chamber reconvenes Wednesday.

Speaker Burrows warned that the doorkeeper would “lock the doors” and said Democrats would be released “into the custody” of a Department of Public Safety officer after Monday’s session, underscoring the tense political divide surrounding the redistricting fight.