On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Donna Howard, one of 60 Democratic Texas legislators who fled the state and traveled to Washington, D.C., on Monday to stop the Republican-majority state legislature from passing two voting rights bills, posted a photo of her clothes, including her bra and panties, hanging out to dry in a hotel room to show the sacrifice she was making by having to wash her clothes in the sink.
Howard wrote as she showed her leopard print t-shirt and panties, three pairs of underpants, and a bra drying over the shower rail, “You bet we’re recognizing & honoring our country’s heritage. As most Texans do, tho, this is what we’re doing tonight — using whatever is accessible, washing our clothes in the sink.”
You bet we’re recognizing & honoring our country’s heritage. As most Texans, tho, this is what we’re doing tonight—using whatever is accessible, uwashing our clothes in the sink. #txlege https://t.co/HC8uDSnWk5 pic.twitter.com/DoaatSCqmj
— Donna Howard (@DonnaHowardTX) July 16, 2021
Howard was responding to GOP senator Orrin Hatch’s former deputy chief of staff, Matt Whitlock, who also worked at the NRSC, who targeted the Texas Democrats for posing in front of the Supreme Court as they spent time in the nation’s capital, tweeting, “What a fun sightseeing trip for you guys.”
What a fun sightseeing trip for you guys
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 16, 2021
Howard was mocked on social media with statements like these:
We are in awe of your sacrifice. I cannot even fathom how you are staying strong through these difficult times. A true hero.
If you wanted to show off your underpants, you could have had someone “leak” them to the press like a normal person.
You had plenty of to pack a bag, tho.
I can walk two blocks to a laundromat and have them wash, dry, and fold my clothes in like 3 hours for $.75/lb. How is this not a bit?
50/50 chance those dang private jets will lose your luggage. Not to be trusted. Please let us know when your gofundme account is set up.
As opposed to the Democrats’ claim that the GOP bills are more restrictive than current standards in the state of Texas, the Daily Mail pointed out, “The Texas Senate bill would allow voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. – an increase of three hours on weekdays and 10 hours on Sundays – and would lower the population threshold from 100,000 to 30,000 for counties to open the polling booths for at least 12 hours in the week before Election Day,” adding, “Mail voters would also be asked to verify their identities with a state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number in a bid to get rid of signature verification that accounts for a higher number of rejected ballots.”
Howard was the latest Texas Democrat to speak of her sacrifice in fleeing the state; on Monday, Texas Democrat James Talarico tweeted, “Just landed in Memphis on our way to DC. Thank y’all for your well wishes. We left behind our families, our livelihoods, & our beloved Texas. But our sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifices brave Americans have made throughout history to protect the sacred right to vote.”
Just landed in Memphis on our way to DC. Thank y’all for your well wishes.
We left behind our families, our livelihoods, & our beloved Texas. But our sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifices brave Americans have made throughout history to protect the sacred right to vote.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) July 12, 2021