Morning Note

The Texas House passed a motion Monday to issue arrest warrants for over 50 Democrats who went AWOL ahead of a vote to redistrict the state, prompting swift action from Governor Greg Abbott.

In a botched PR stunt for the ages, Texas Democrats broke quorum, packed up their bags, and jetted off to Illinois to avoid voting on a Republican-led effort to redistrict the state’s congressional maps. 

Following the vote, Abbott announced that he had issued an order for the Democrats’ arrest and that officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety were on their way to wrangle up the rogue lawmakers.   

“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said in a statement. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”

Although Democrats will not face civil or criminal charges, they will nonetheless be embarrassed, like teenagers who didn’t return home before curfew. Ironically, 51 lawmakers fled to Illinois, a blue state gerrymandered by Democrats in 2021. 

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