As the quorum-breaking Democrats filed back into the Texas House chamber clutching triumphant press releases and wearing hollow smiles, they returned to find a unified Republican caucus primed to push through to final victory.
The scene that told the story of their absence played out the Saturday before last.
As the gavel cracked through the stagnant air of the Texas House chamber, the sound ricocheted off empty desks and careened into the gallery. Speaker Dustin Burrows’ voice rolled through the half-empty hall: “It is evident to the chair that a quorum is not present. The House stands adjourned until 1 p.m. Monday.”
He brought the gavel down again, sealing the moment in the legislative record. Republicans came to work. Democrats went on a fundraising vacation.
Over fifty Democrats fled the state to prevent the Texas House from
conducting business. The reason? The Republicans' proposal to redistrict the congressional delegation to the benefit of the GOP.
In trying to derail the process, Democrats accomplished something they never intended. They unified a Republican Party that, at times, seems more interested in fighting itself than advancing its agenda. But the quorum break refocused Republicans and awakened a sleeping giant.
Democrats have played on both sides of the redistricting game for decades, even in Texas. In 2002, Rick Perry won the governor’s race by nearly 18 points. In that same election under a map drawn by Democrats, they won 17 of Texas’s 32 congressional districts. That was not fairness. That was power politics. And when Texas Republicans sought to rebalance the map in 2003, the Democrats tried this exact same maneuver. They eventually came home, and the maps changed.
Today, in Democratic-controlled Massachusetts, the state’s nine U.S. House districts boast zero Republican seats. Maryland has eight seats and gives Republicans just one. In New York and California, Republican strength in the congressional delegation is nowhere near the statewide popularity. And in Illinois, the minority party exists only on paper, with Democrats locking down impenetrable supermajorities in the state legislature and congressional map.
Here at home, the Republican majority has the power to draw the lines whenever it wants. If Texans dislike the results, they can send that message at the ballot box for Congress, the state Capitol or even the governor who signs the plan.
I suspect they will not. For the last two decades, Republican governance has fueled extraordinary economic growth. Texas leads the nation in job creation. It attracts more business relocations than any other state. Low taxes, light regulation and a commitment to property rights have made Texas the engine of the national economy.
Republicans have built a climate where hard work pays off, where entrepreneurs thrive without suffocating bureaucracy and where local communities set their priorities instead of taking orders from Washington. Texas remains competitive, resilient and growing in a volatile world. That record speaks louder than any line on a map.
The new Texas map reflects the state’s changing population. It restores Barbara Jordan’s historic district while creating new Hispanic-majority districts. At the same time, Hispanic voters in Texas have shifted steadily toward the GOP. That change matters more than any new set of boundaries. Lines on a map can be redrawn. A political realignment like this reshapes elections for a generation.
Mid-decade redistricting ensures Washington looks as much like Texas as possible — and that means GOP from top to bottom. Republicans should not stop with Congress. They should redraw the Texas House map to secure lasting supermajorities so a quorum-breaking minority cannot stall the voters’ agenda again.
History rewards resolve. In 2003, Republicans redrew the maps mid-decade, won in court and locked in an advantage that has lasted for a generation. Since then, Republicans have won every statewide elected office and kept their legislative majorities without interruption.
The quorum break has ended, and Republicans are stronger and more united than when it began. The maps will be drawn, and they will lock in a Washington delegation that reflects the political reality in Texas. All Democrats have to show for their walkout are a few news clips, some fundraising cash and souvenirs from states that are more gerrymandered by Democrats than anything Texas Republicans have achieved. Maybe they should have stayed there.
Garrett W. Fulce of Sugar Land, Texas, is aYoung Voices Contributor, host of "Seeing Red, a Texas politicspodcast,” and ownsFulce Consulting LLC, a Texas-based public relations and public affairs firm. He has a track record of helping Republicans secure victories at the local, state, and national levels.
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