Chicago Monday, August 4th, 2025
Texas Governor Abbott Threatens to Remove Democratic Lawmakers
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is threatening to remove Democratic lawmakers from office if they don’t return to Texas by Monday. This comes after dozens of Democrats left the state to block new U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants before the 2026 midterm elections. The Democrats are trying to prevent the new maps, which would create five new Republican-leaning seats, from being voted on.
The situation is getting intense, with Governor Abbott giving the Democrats less than 24 hours to come back. Meanwhile, some Democratic governors are talking about redrawing their own state’s maps in retaliation. However, their options are limited. The whole issue started because President Trump wants to add more Republican-leaning seats in Texas to help his party keep its majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Democrats who left Texas were welcomed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Chicago, but they didn’t say how long they plan to stay away. The vote on the new maps was supposed to happen on Monday, but it can’t proceed if most of the Democratic members don’t show up. The whole situation is causing a big stir in Texas politics.
