Texas Lawmakers’ Walkouts: A Recurring Tactic in Redistricting Battles
August 6, 2025
Texas lawmakers have a storied history of staging walkouts to disrupt legislative proceedings, particularly during contentious redistricting battles. The recent walkout by Texas House Democrats on August 3, 2025, to block a Republican-led mid-decade redistricting plan is only the latest chapter in a decades-long tradition of using quorum breaks as a political strategy. This article explores the history of Texas lawmakers’ walkouts, focusing on their use in redistricting fights, the motivations behind them, and their outcomes, while contextualizing the current standoff.
The Current Redistricting Battle
On August 3, 2025, more than 51 Texas House Democrats fled the state to deny the Republican-controlled Texas House the quorum needed to vote on a congressional redistricting map. The proposed map, backed by former President Donald Trump and championed by Republican state lawmaker Todd Hunter, aims to create five new GOP-leaning seats for the 2026 midterms. Democrats, led by House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, condemned the plan as a “political power grab” that suppresses Black and Latino voters and splits communities. By leaving for Democratic strongholds like Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, the lawmakers stalled the special session, which began July 21 and is set to end August 19.
Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows responded aggressively, with Abbott threatening to remove absent lawmakers from office and Burrows issuing civil arrest warrants, though these are largely symbolic outside Texas. Democrats face $500 daily fines and potential legal challenges, but their absence has delayed votes on redistricting and other issues, including flood relief for the July 2025 Texas Hill Country floods that killed over 136 people. National Democratic leaders, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, have supported the walkout, hinting at retaliatory redistricting in their states.
A History of Walkouts in Texas
Quorum breaks, where lawmakers leave to prevent the minimum number required for legislative business (two-thirds of the 150-member Texas House, or 100 members), are a well-established tactic in Texas politics. The Texas Constitution enables such moves, but the success of these walkouts has been mixed, often delaying rather than derailing Republican agendas. Below are key historical walkouts, particularly those tied to redistricting:
1979: The “Killer Bees”
In June 1979, twelve Democratic state senators, dubbed the “Killer Bees,” hid out in Austin to block a bill that would have separated the Texas presidential primary to benefit Republican Governor John Connally. By denying the Senate a quorum for four days, they successfully stalled the measure, marking one of the most effective quorum breaks in Texas history. Texas Rangers and state troopers were dispatched to find them, but the senators evaded capture until the legislative deadline passed.
2003: Redistricting Showdowns
The 2003 redistricting battle, driven by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Governor Rick Perry, saw two significant walkouts:
- House Democrats to Oklahoma: Over 50 House Democrats, known as the “Killer Ds,” fled to Ardmore, Oklahoma, in May 2003 to block a mid-decade redistricting plan that aimed to increase Republican congressional seats. They stayed at a Holiday Inn for a week, missing a legislative deadline. However, Perry called multiple special sessions, and one Democrat’s return restored the quorum, allowing the maps to pass in a third session.
- Senate Democrats to New Mexico: In a subsequent special session, eleven Senate Democrats, called the “Texas Eleven,” hid out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for over five weeks to block the same redistricting plan. Their effort collapsed when Senator John Whitmire returned to Austin, enabling the maps’ adoption, which gave Republicans a majority of Texas’ U.S. House seats.
These walkouts delayed but ultimately failed to stop the Republican redistricting plan, which redrew maps to favor GOP candidates, netting them additional congressional seats.
2021: Voting Rights Walkout
In July 2021, over 50 Texas House Democrats fled to Washington, D.C., to block a Republican-backed election integrity bill during a special session. The 38-day walkout garnered national attention and led to the removal of some controversial provisions from the bill, but Republicans passed it after the Democrats returned. The Texas Supreme Court upheld the House’s authority to compel attendance, and no significant sanctions were imposed on the lawmakers. This walkout, while not directly about redistricting, highlighted the tactic’s use in high-stakes legislative battles.
Why Lawmakers Walk Out
Walkouts are a “last resort” for Democrats, who lack the numbers to defeat Republican legislation in the GOP-dominated Texas Legislature (25 of 38 congressional seats and majorities in both chambers). By denying a quorum, Democrats aim to:
- Delay Legislation: Stall bills until the 30-day special session expires, forcing the governor to call additional sessions, which can be politically costly.
- Draw National Attention: Amplify their cause through media coverage, as seen in 2021 and currently with support from national Democratic figures like Pritzker and Hochul.
- Pressure Republicans: Publicity can shame Republicans into softening legislation, as occurred with some provisions in 2021.
- Protect Constituents: Democrats argue that GOP redistricting suppresses minority votes and splits communities, violating the Voting Rights Act.
However, political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus notes that quorum breaks are often symbolic, as media attention fades and Republicans can outwait Democrats or call new sessions.
Challenges and Consequences
Walkouts carry significant risks for lawmakers:
- Financial Penalties: Since 2023, House rules impose a $500 daily fine for unexcused absences, potentially costing each lawmaker thousands over the current session. National Democratic groups and donors, like Beto O’Rourke’s organization, are reportedly covering these costs.
- Legal Threats: Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have threatened arrests and removal from office, citing a 2021 non-binding opinion that courts could deem quorum-breaking as forfeiture of office. However, legal experts question the enforceability of these threats, especially outside Texas.
- Political Costs: In 2022, Oregon senators who walked out were barred from reelection due to a voter-approved measure, a precedent Texas Republicans could pursue. However, past Texas walkouts (2003, 2021) saw no major electoral consequences for Democrats.
- Logistical Challenges: Sustaining a walkout requires housing and supporting dozens of lawmakers out of state, a costly and complex endeavor.
Outcomes and Effectiveness
Historically, Texas walkouts have had limited success in stopping legislation:
- 1979: The “Killer Bees” succeeded by running out the legislative clock.
- 2003: Both House and Senate walkouts delayed but failed to stop redistricting, as Republicans passed the maps in special sessions.
- 2021: The voting rights bill passed despite the walkout, though Democrats secured minor concessions.
The current walkout may delay the redistricting vote until August 19, but Abbott can call additional sessions, and only 12 Democrats need to return to restore a quorum. Democrats hope to leverage national support and potential legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act, though recent Supreme Court trends suggest hurdles.
Broader Implications
The 2025 walkout has sparked a national redistricting arms race, with Democratic governors like Pritzker and Hochul considering retaliatory map-drawing in their states, though New York’s independent commission limits immediate action until 2028. Republicans in states like Florida are also eyeing mid-decade redistricting, escalating partisan battles nationwide.
Conclusion
Texas Democrats’ walkouts, from the “Killer Bees” in 1979 to the current 2025 exodus, reflect a desperate but often symbolic tactic to counter Republican dominance. While the current walkout has stalled a Trump-backed redistricting plan, historical precedent suggests Republicans may ultimately prevail through persistence or new sessions. The move has reignited national debates over gerrymandering and voter rights, with Texas once again at the epicenter of a high-stakes political showdown. As State Representative James Talarico stated, “We’re not running from anything. We’re trying to make sure that democracy in Texas is of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Sources: CNN, The New York Times, NPR, ABC News, The Texas Tribune, PBS News, BBC, AP, The Hill, POLITICO