Texas Democrats Left the State as a Protest to Stall Congress Changes By Republicans

On Aug. 3, 2025, more than 50 Texas Democrats from the State House of Representatives left the state in an attempt to block a serious move from the House Republicans. But for those who still don't understand the motive, many are wondering why Democrats left Texas and what they could accomplish by their seemingly strategic move.

Per NBC News, the Democratic House members from Texas left the state and headed for Chicago, Ill., as part of a plan to stop Republicans from voting on a big change that could alter the number of Republican seats in Congress.

This is especially important going into the midterm elections in the United States.

Multiple outlets reported that almost all of the 62 Democrat members of the Texas House left the state to appeal to not only the public, but to other political leaders, particularly Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. NBC News reported that dozens of Democrats met with the governor as part of a plan to deny the Republican members' request for a quorum to vote on adding five more Republican seats to Congress.

There are 150 House members, with 62 of them being Democrats and 88 Republicans. In order to hold the vote, pass bills, or do anything that the House is in charge of, there have to be at least 100 members present. In leaving Texas, the Democrats in the House are essentially stalling the Republicans' push to vote on and potentially add those additional seats to Congress.

But the vote also includes details on targeting certain districts. According to PBS, President Donald Trump is in support of the Texas House's plans to vote to add five more Republican seats. Texas has 38 U.S. House seats now. Republicans hold 25, Democrats have 12, and there is one vacancy.

If the vote passes, Republicans will reportedly have 30 seats and, as a result, Democrats will have just eight.

Although the Democrats left Texas and did stall the vote, with there being nowhere near enough House members for quorum, it isn't a permanent solution. Per PBS, members can be fined $500 per day each day they break quorum. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he suggested harsher punishments for the House members.

"Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately," he wrote on Aug. 3, 2025. "We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott later threatened to remove the lawmakers from their official positions if they did not return to Texas, according to AP. He also made thinly veiled threats publicly. The outlet reported that Abbott hinted that the House members could face felony charges due to the raising of money to help pay for their daily fines.