Democratic lawmakers in Texas said they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move sought to protect the Republicans' narrow US House majority in next year's midterm elections.

"As of today, this corrupt special session is over," Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement on Sunday following the decision, meant to bar Republicans from holding a vote on the new congressional district map released last week.

"We're not walking out on our responsibilities; we're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent," Wu added.

President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.

In a video shot in front of an airport, Democratic Representative James Talarico said on Sunday the redistricting plan amounted to "rigging" the 2026 elections.

"If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab," Talarico said in the video posted on X on Sunday.

Several other Texas Democrats said on X that they were headed to Illinois, whose governor is Democrat J.B. Pritzker.

Redistricting

States are required to redistrict every 10 years based on the US Census, but the Texas map was passed just four years ago by the Republican-dominated legislature. While mid-cycle redistricting occasionally takes place, it is usually prompted by a change in power at the legislature.

Republicans have pursued redistricting in a special legislative session that will also address funding for flood prevention in the wake of the deadly July 4 flash flooding that killed more than 130.

Under the current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56 percent to 42 percent margin.

Redistricting experts have said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott's office did not respond to a request for comment about the Democrats' move on Sunday.