The Houston Chronicle, Texas’ largest newspaper, is criticizing Governor Greg Abbott in an opinion piece for what it calls his “Republican power grab” regarding his state legislature’s push to vote and approve GOP-backed redistricting maps that could have drastic effects on and in the aftermath of the 2026 midterm election.
Newsweek has reached out to Abbott’s office via email for comment on Monday.
Why It Matters
Abbott had called a special session to address the flooding that killed 135 people last month in Texas Hill Country and the redistricting plan.
Tensions have escalated between the governor, Republicans and Texas Democrats as 51 Democratic lawmakers in the Legislature fled the state to Illinois on Sunday to prevent Republicans from moving forward with a vote due to lacking a quorum. Two-thirds of members within the 150-member chamber must be present to pass legislation.
In a letter, Abbott referred to the fleeing members as “derelict Democrats” and threatened to remove them from the Legislature altogether if they didn’t return by 3 p.m. Monday, August 4.
“Real Texans do not run from a fight. But that’s exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did…rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business,” he wrote in part.
Republicans have a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and a slightly larger one in the U.S. Senate. Democrats hope to take back the House in next year’s midterms, which traditionally have seen the party that is not in power in the White House gain a number of seats.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Democrats picked up 41 seats in the midterms. Trump, meanwhile, has backed Abbott’s move to redraw the state map.
What To Know
The Chronicle’s editorial board published an op-ed piece on Monday, comparing Abbott’s efforts during the recent deadly Texas floods to his political efforts to swiftly redraw and enact new districts across the Lone Star State.
“The governor has followed his orders from Washington and put a Republican power grab before communities devastated by Central Texas floods,” the editorial reads. “With a stroke of his pen, Abbott could have moved hundreds of millions of dollars by executive fiat. He could have called a session with the sole objective of addressing the still-unfolding crisis in the Hill Country.”
The editorial board continued: “But the lives of Texans come second to the desires of President Trump and his loyalists. When Trump utters the words ‘very simple redrawing,’ Abbott asks, how many seats do you want? And we end up with a Congressional map that puts Democrats on the endangered species list.”
Democrats have argued that if Republicans succeed in redrawing districts in Texas, Trump will push other states to do the same.
The editorial also notes that both political parties, be it Republicans in Texas or Democrats in Illinois, have engaged in gerrymandering while in power to boost future prospects.
The difference now, according to the Chronicle, is that Texas’ bluest cities are being carved up and would hypothetically lead to a Republican majority on par with the nation’s reddest state, Wyoming. Texas Democrats would safely hold about 21 percent of the state’s congressional districts even though 46 percent of voters in last year’s presidential election voted for Democratic nominee then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Abbott is also chastised for his threats of removal, with the editorial calling such an outcome “an attack on democracy itself.”
“None of this was necessary,” the editorial concludes. “Abbott could’ve just made the special session all about flooding. Heck, lawmakers probably could’ve gotten a recovery package passed with plenty of time left over to sift through Lieutenant. Governor Dan Patrick’s buffet of red-meat priorities. Instead, the well-being of Texans has once again come second to flagrant backroom partisan power-plays.”
What People Are Saying
Sergio Sanchez, a former Republican chairman and longtime radio host in Texas, told Newsweek: “This Texas GOP strategy is based on political reality. Almost the entire southern Texas border has shifted red. Red represents the traditional values, work ethic, economic opportunities, immigration controls and police protections no longer espoused by modern Democrats.”
He added: “The Democrats are again showing they have no values and solutions for Texas and the nation. Their cowardly response is laughable and sad. Democrats are clueless and lost.”
Former Democratic Texas Representative Colin Allred, also a past U.S. Senate candidate against Senator Ted Cruz, in a statement on Sunday: “This fight isn’t just about maps—it’s about power. When Republicans silence Black and Latino voters, they’re not just rigging elections. They’re rigging who gets health care, clean water, and a fair shot.
“Let’s be clear: they don’t just want to rig the vote. They want to use that power to rig the economy — to keep helping the wealthy and well-connected while working families get left behind.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on X on Sunday: “I support the immediate arrest of these rogue lawmakers who’ve fled their duties. These radical Democrats are spitting in the face of every Texan they swore to represent. This is cowardice and dereliction of duty, and they should face the full force of the law without apology.”
Texas state Representative Gene Wu, the Texas House Democratic Caucus leader, said during a press conference in Chicago: “We will do whatever it takes. What that looks like, we don’t know.”
What Happens Next?
Republican State House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the chamber would still meet as planned at 3 p.m. on Monday.
“If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table….” he wrote on X.
The lack of a quorum would also delay votes on flood relief and new warning systems in the wake of last month’s catastrophic floods in Texas.
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