Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says Democratic lawmakers who skipped town to thwart a controversial redistricting vote deserve to be hunted down and arrested. Attorney General Ken Paxton agrees — though not long ago, both men were accused of dodging accountability themselves.
The latest standoff erupted after more than 50 Texas House Democrats fled the state, aiming to block a gerrymandering effort that could net Republicans five more U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Their sudden absence denied the legislature a quorum, stalling votes on the controversial maps championed by President Donald Trump.
Gov. Abbott responded by ordering the Texas Department of Public Safety to track down and arrest the absconding lawmakers — even though state officers have no authority to detain anyone outside Texas.
“To ensure compliance, I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said Monday. “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.”
The governor also threatened lawmakers with a $500-per-day fine, warning they could be ousted from office for “abandonment.”
Abbott also suggested that raising public funds to pay those fines could violate bribery laws. He then floated the possibility of extraditing “potential out-of-state felons,” even though breaking quorum is not a crime.
Paxton, Abbott’s longtime ally, echoed the same inflammatory rhetoric on X.
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately. We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
But Paxton’s remarks drew swift blowback, with social media critics digging up receipts that refused to let Paxton slide or suffer any memory loss.
One post in particular recalled a September 2022 incident when Paxton himself fled his home to avoid being served a subpoena in a case involving abortion rights. Paxton’s critic circulated a screenshot of the story with a biting caption, asking, “Wasn’t this you?”
In the comments section, conservatives ran to Paxton’s defense with claps like: “Never happened,” “Fake news,” and “Even if he did do it, it’s not illegal to avoid a process server.”
At the time, court records show, Paxton asked a judge to quash the subpoena and seal the service documents, with his attorneys claiming a process server had “accosted” him and his wife. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted the requests.
That episode accompanies a laundry list of controversies swirling around the state’s top attorney — including a federal corruption investigation, past felony securities fraud charges, and a historic impeachment last year in which Paxton was acquitted by the Republican-led state Senate. His wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, did not vote.
In 2020, eight of Paxton’s closest aides blew the whistle, accusing him of bribery and abuse of office to benefit real estate investor Nate Paul — a campaign donor who later pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges. Paxton admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman Paul hired.
Paxton ultimately agreed to pay $300,000 in restitution to settle the securities fraud case and has not contested the whistleblowers’ claims in civil court. Still, the Department of Justice quietly closed its public corruption probe in the final weeks of the Biden administration, concluding it could not likely secure a conviction.
“After the November election, the DOJ accepted a guilty plea from Nate Paul and is apparently letting Ken Paxton escape justice,” said attorneys for two of the whistleblowers in a statement. “DOJ clearly let political cowardice impact its decision.”
Meanwhile, Abbott — no stranger to national political drama himself — has attempted to frame the redistricting standoff as a principled stand against obstruction.
But critics see it as a power grab and a direct response to Trump’s push for a stronger House majority. Under Texas’ current map, Republicans control 25 of 38 congressional seats. The GOP holds a narrow 219-212 majority in the U.S. House, with four vacancies.
The governor insisted the new maps would “create more Hispanic-majority districts” and “give Trump voters in Democrat-majority districts the ability to elect Republicans.” But Democrats say the effort amounts to “turbocharged racism” and “illegal voter suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans.”
Still, many people weren’t buying it, recalling Abbott’s past obfuscations and political schemes.
One social media post resurfaced Abbott’s attempt to shift blame onto President Joe Biden after Donald Trump was indicted in June 2023 for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election—despite the charges stemming from Trump’s own actions. Critics pointed to the irony of Abbott deflecting responsibility for what became the first federal criminal case against a former president.
On Monday, Paxton went on Fox News, saying he expected the Texas Supreme Court to ultimately weigh in on any abandonment cases he files. “And they’re obviously a Republican court,” he added.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he was preparing a mid-cycle redistricting effort of his own to counteract the political maneuvering in Texas.
“These folks don’t play by the rules. If they can’t win playing the game with the existing set of rules, they’ll change the rules. That’s what Donald Trump has done,” Newsom said, vowing to fight fire with fire.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul added:
“We are at war. That’s why the gloves are off and I say, bring it on.”
The standoff has national implications. Trump is backing Abbott’s hardline approach, with a White House official saying the former president wants “whatever is necessary” done to pass the map.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers who skipped town remain unfazed.
“He’s trying to get sound bites, and he has no legal mechanism,” said Houston Rep. Jolanda Jones.
The Democrats are expected to hold briefings this week in Chicago and New York — just as the Texas legislature reconvenes today. They’ve threatened to stay out of state until the special session expires on August 20.
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