Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) robbed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) of the spotlight on Sunday in the Democratic response to Texas’s partisan redistricting efforts.
Newsom had taken the lead in the conversation, but Pritzker held a news conference with Texas Democrats who had fled to his state to deny the legislature a quorum.
Pritzker, surrounded by branded decor, said he was harboring the lawmakers. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) threatened to strip the state legislators of their elected office if they do not return before the session is gavelled in on Monday. The Democrats left to deny a quorum to the Republican-led legislature, bringing the approval process for the new maps to a halt for now.
“They’re here in Illinois. We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — ’cause we know they’re doing the right thing, we know that they’re following the law,” Pritzker told reporters at a press conference.
“It’s Ken Paxton who doesn’t follow the law,” he continued, referring to Texas’s Republican attorney general. “It’s the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law. They’re the ones that need to be held accountable.”
Abbott ordered Texas state lawmakers back by 3 p.m. Monday.
“This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3:00 PM [Central Time] on Monday,” Abbott said in a letter to Democrats released Sunday.
“Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber’s business,” Abbott continued.
Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico told the Washington Examiner that the Democrats in Illinois would be staying there for Monday. He also said that they were “thankful for our friends in Illinois who have welcomed us.”
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu, who is also in Illinois, spoke at Pritzker’s press conference to slam Abbott. “Gov. Abbott is doing this in submission to Donald Trump so that Donald Trump can steal these communities’ power and voice,” Wu said. “We will not be complicit in the destruction of our own communities. We’re not here to play political games. We’re here to demand an end to this corrupt process.”
Pritzker touted his gubernatorial campaign on a wall behind him, emblazoned with “Governor JB” and his campaign website. Democrats view the Texas redistricting issue as a national fight against Republicans and Trump, who want to gain advantages to keep House control in 2026.
“Donald Trump is trying to cheat the system in Texas, but these Democratic legislators refuse to let it happen without a fight,” Pritzker posted on X. “Their fight is our fight. I’m proud to stand side-by-side with them as they protect their constituents.”
ABBOTT THREATENS TEXAS DEMOCRATS WITH REMOVAL FROM OFFICE IF THEY DON’T RETURN BY MONDAY
Newsom previously said he planned to call a November special election to ask voters for new congressional maps favoring Democrats in the state. “I’m not going to sit back any longer in the fetal position, a position of weakness, when in fact California can demonstrably advance strength,” Newsom said at an unrelated news conference.
Pritzker and Newsom are top Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential election as the governors of heavily populated Democratic states. With the election far enough away, neither has declared their ambitions. But their work helping Democrats before the 2026 midterm elections has kept them in the spotlight.