CHICAGO (WGN) — Texas Democrats in Chicago may soon be going home following a two-week battle preventing Republicans in their state from redrawing districting maps.
Lawmakers at a rally in Millennium Park to protest the Trump administration encourage voters to get involved and speak up on the issue.
Democrats from the Lone Star state are declaring victory in the Windy City.
“And let me tell you, what you have done is nothing short of miraculous,” State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) said.
For nearly two weeks, Texas Democrats have taken part in a walkout to block the GOP’s redrawing of U.S. House maps.
According to the Associated Press, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Donald Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority before the 2026 midterm elections.
The walk out made redistricting a national conversation. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now pushing to redraw California’s congressional map.
“We took a leap of faith and people caught us. Together, we shined a national spotlight on this power grab. Together, we sparked national momentum for California and other states to redistrict and cancel out the five stolen seats out of Texas,” Texas State Rep. James Talarico said.
Republicans have called the move hypocrisy, pointing to redistricting in states like Illinois that favor democrats.
“Democrats don’t have gerrymandering, they hate losing. With this new map, they know they are going to lose five seats. We can make it harder for them and make them lose eight seats,” Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George said.
At Millennium Park, members of the Texas legislature joined a “Fight the Trump Takeover” rally.
Hundreds marched to Federal Plaza hoping their message was heard by those both near and far.
The Texas Democrats did not make it clear when they are heading back to their state. Lawmakers are facing $500 fines for each day they are absent.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
