Overview

• Republicans convened a special session to redraw Texas’s congressional map mid-decade, creating five new GOP-leaning districts for the 2026 elections.
• At least 51 of 62 Democratic state representatives gathered in Illinois to deny the two-thirds quorum needed to advance the redistricting plan.
• The walkout has stalled critical legislation, including relief funding for victims of recent deadly floods in Texas.
• Governors Gavin Newsom and J.B. Pritzker offered political and logistical support to the exiled lawmakers as part of a national defense of democratic norms.
• Abbott warned absent Democrats of criminal charges for ‘abandonment’ and pledged to appoint temporary replacements if they fail to return.