In a move sparking national backlash, a Houston-based imam affiliated with the Nation of Islam <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15078883/Sharia-patrols-Texas-alcohol-pork-ban.html">launched a campaign</a> demanding Muslim-owned stores stop selling pork, alcohol, and gambling products—or face public protests. Imam F. Qasim ibn Ali Khan of Masjid At-Tawhid, speaking in viral videos circulating on TikTok and X, issued ultimatums to shop owners, warning that demonstrations will escalate unless “haram” items are purged from their inventory.
“We’re just getting started,” Khan told one store clerk. “In 30 days, we’re going city-wide.”
His message? Sharia compliance or public shaming. Khan&#8217;s demonstrations in front of local businesses have drawn comparisons to hardline “Sharia patrol” tactics seen in radicalized areas of Europe.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott didn’t mince words in response.
“I signed laws that BAN Sharia Law and Sharia Compounds in Texas,” he posted on X. “No business &amp; no individual should fear fools like this.”
Abbott urged Texans to report any attempts to impose Sharia compliance to law enforcement or the Department of Public Safety.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I signed laws that BAN Sharia Law and Sharia Compounds in Texas.
No business &amp; no individual should fear fools like this.
If this person, or ANYONE, attempts to impose Sharia compliance, report it to local law enforcement or the Texas Dept. of Public Safety. <a href="https://t.co/cVV2MJItLH">https://t.co/cVV2MJItLH</a>
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1965173662262448320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Critics warn the imam’s campaign is not only coercive but a potential flashpoint for creeping extremism. Videos show Khan confronting Muslim shopkeepers, insisting they’re violating Islamic law by selling forbidden products.
“We should love what Allah allows and hate what Allah hates,” he said while leading demonstrators through inner-city neighborhoods. “Little by little, one by one, we’re going to be visiting all the stores.”
Although no violence has been reported, the rhetoric is undeniable. Khan calls it da’wah—religious outreach—but the optics tell a different story. Armed with protest signs and camera crews, Khan accuses fellow Muslims of betraying their faith for profit, warning that the “best of the community” will only be realized through strict Islamic adherence.
Khan’s mosque, Masjid At-Tawhid, flies a Palestinian flag and employs private security personnel in uniforms that resemble local police. His red henna-dyed beard and firebrand style have become a visual marker of his strict Sharia-first ideology. While his protests remain within the bounds of free speech—for now—his message is unmistakable: Muslim-majority areas should adhere to Islamic principles, or face public pressure.
This comes amid broader concerns over Sharia-linked developments in Texas. Earlier this year, Abbott announced the state had halted construction on the so-called “EPIC City”—a proposed Muslim-only community near Dallas allegedly designed to operate under Sharia law.
“There is no construction taking place,” Abbott said, confirming multiple state and federal investigations into the project’s legality. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Attorney General Ken Paxton both raised constitutional concerns over religious discrimination and segregation.
Abbott connected the dots: “Texas takes matters like this seriously,” he wrote. “This is America. We don’t bend the law for imported ideologies.”
The rise of self-declared Islamic enforcers like Imam Khan—armed with a smartphone and a platform—signals a growing clash between religious radicalism and American law and culture. For now, Texans aren’t having it.
Neither is their governor.

Gov. Greg Abbott –  called a second special session

Sharia Law Comes Knocking In Texas. Abbott Slams Door Shut.

Greg Abbott

Islam

Politics

Religion

Sharia Law

Texas

(Reuters) -Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a bill to redraw the state&#8217;s congressional maps at the behest of President Donald Trump in an effort to flip five U.S. House seats held by Democrats to Republicans.
The ratification came after the state&#8217;s legislature passed the measure last week amid a nationwide redistricting battle.
&#8220;Texas is now more red in the United States Congress,&#8221; Abbott said in a video post on social media, after signing the bill with a marker.
Republicans have acknowledged they believe winning more congressional seats in Texas will help the party maintain its slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in next year&#8217;s midterm elections. More states controlled by Republicans are considering similar action.
California and other states where Democrats hold power vow to counter such moves. The California legislature approved a redistricting plan last week aimed at giving Democrats five more congressional seats.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The California plan must be approved by voters in November. The Texas plan does not need voter approval, but it has been challenged in court.
The Texas bill was delayed for two weeks after more than 50 Democratic state House members staged a walkout that denied Republicans the legislative quorum needed.
Democrats argued that the new Texas map violates federal law by diluting Hispanic and Black voting power and discriminating on the basis of race.
Texas Republicans who sponsored the bill said they redrew maps based on voting history, not race.
Most Americans believe redrawing congressional lines for the sake of maximizing political gain, known as gerrymandering, is bad for democracy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found this week.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Diane Craft)

U.S. HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. holds a press conference with Texas Governor Abbott, in Austin

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Law To Secure New Congressional Maps

Elections

Redistricting

The Texas House approved a new congressional map on Wednesday that is expected to net Republicans five additional seats in the House of Representatives after the upcoming midterm elections.
The map, which passed with all 88 Republican House members voting in favor, caps a weeks-long saga in which dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled the state to prevent the state legislature from conducting business. The new map will head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for a final signature.
Rogue Democrats returned to Texas earlier this week, ending their protest after collectively racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for purposely breaking quorum and leaving the state legislature unable to conduct business.
During their boycott of the legislature, the Democratic lawmakers rallied support for their cause from Democrats in other states. Several Democratic governors have voiced support for gerrymandering their state maps in retribution.
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On Monday, Texas Republicans mandated that Democrats who fled must receive passes to leave the House chamber. Each lawmaker would also be assigned an officer from the Texas Department of Public Safety to ensure that they returned to the chamber on time for each session.
A handful of Democratic lawmakers stayed overnight in the House chamber in protest of the new rules. State Rep. Nicole Collier received a call and encouragement from former Vice President Kamala Harris for spending the night on the chamber floor. Texas Democrats later posted a <a href="https://x.com/TexasHDC/status/1957949548845756809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> of the call online.
“You really are inspiring so many people, and I just want you to know that you are among those who history will reveal to have been heroes of this moment,” Harris said. “So, you just stay strong and do what you are doing.”
Republican Rep. Brian Harrison criticized Democratic theatrics around the passage of the new map on Wednesday morning.
“These crocodile tears and bad, bad kabuki theater coming from the Democrats right now is just pathetic,” said Harrison in an <a href="https://x.com/FaulknerFocus/status/1958197591956500949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on Fox News. “Quite frankly, my fourth grader&#8217;s production of ‘Shrek’ last year had better acting.”
“These Democrats are pretending they don&#8217;t like redrawing maps for partisan political purposes, but the reality is Democrat state after Democrat state has been doing this for decades,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The dirty little secret is they&#8217;re only objecting now because it&#8217;s Republican states that are finally doing it.&#8221;

Texas Capitol

All That For Nothing: Rogue Texas Dems Brought To Heel As New Congressional Map Passes

Texas Passes New Congressional Map To Give GOP An Edge In Midterms

U.S. House of Representatives

The Texas Democrat representatives who fled the Lone Star State to stop a mid-decade redistricting are returning, according to an announcement by the caucus. This will allow the state to conclude its drawn-out attempt to reshape the 2026 congressional map.
&#8220;We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation– reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,&#8221; said state Representative Gene Wu, who leads Democrats in the Texas House, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/politics/texas-california-redistricting-fight">CNN</a>.
&#8220;We&#8217;re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans&#8217; plans than when we left,&#8221; Wu continued. &#8220;Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses.&#8221;
The Texas Democratic legislators chose to leave the state rather than voting in the special session that was called for the redistricting vote, which expired Friday. After it expired, Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) promptly called a second special session to finish the redistricting effort.
In a <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1956382209876869610">statement</a> on X announcing the second special session, Abbott said, &#8220;There is critical work that is left undone. Texas will not back down from this fight. That&#8217;s why I am calling them back today to finish the job.&#8221;
The Texas House of Representatives convened at 12 p.m. CT Monday, which enabled the legislature to continue with the special session. The new congressional map could made official by as soon as the end of the week.
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The Texas lawmakers who fled the state have been hiding out in notoriously-gerrymandered <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-dems-cant-win-redistricting-fight-so-they-bravely-turn-tail-and-flee-the-state">Illinois</a> since August 4 while facing threats of fines and arrest for neglecting their duties from the Texas governor.
Abbott threatened to arrest the lawmakers at the start of the quorum break. &#8220;Once they step back into the state, they will be arrested and brought back to the Capitol and we will be conducting business,&#8221; Abbott told Fox News host Laura Ingraham at the time.
Soon after that, Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abbott-to-awol-texas-democrats-respect-voters-or-be-removed?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abbott+To+AWOL+Texas+Democrats%3A+Respect+Voters+Or+Be+Removed">revealed</a> plans to remove the representatives from office. Abbott said that the actions of the Democrats amounted to &#8220;an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office&#8221; and that Texas law empowered him to fill the vacancies.
On top of these threats by the state&#8217;s Republican governor, the AWOL Democrats were being slapped with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ken-paxton-seeks-to-put-democrat-beto-orourke-behind-bars-over-fundraising-for-awol-dems?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ken+Paxton+Seeks+To+Put+Democrat+Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke+%E2%80%98Behind+Bars%E2%80%99+Over+Fundraising+For+AWOL+Dems">$500-per-day fine</a> while they missed the special session, which also aimed at lowering property taxes, addressing state education benchmarks, and resolving issues that arose after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-tours-texas-flood-zone-as-death-toll-reaches-121?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Tours+Texas+Flood+Zone+As+Death+Toll+Reaches+121">July 4 floods</a> that rocked the state.
It is unclear what steps Governor Abbott will take against the representatives who fled the state as they return for the second special session.
The redistricting battle in Texas has since spilled over into blue states like New York and California, with Democratic state governors threatening to gerrymander their congressional districts to combat Texas&#8217; move.
California Governor Gavin Newsom notably responded to the controversy of Texas lawmakers fleeing the state by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-threatens-retaliation-says-texas-redistricting-will-trigger-new-california-election-maps">saying</a>, &#8220;[The Republicans] triggered this response and we&#8217;re not going to roll over and we&#8217;re going to fight fire with fire, but we&#8217;re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union.&#8221;
&#8220;We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we&#8217;re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation,&#8221; Newsom continued. &#8220;Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.&#8221;

2024 Republican National Convention: Day 3

Texas Dems Submit To Redistricting Vote After Two Weeks AWOL

California

Democrats

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Tuesday that he is seeking the arrest of Democrat Robert Francis &#8220;Beto&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke over O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s alleged violation of a court order requiring him to stop fundraising for the AWOL Texas Democrats.
Paxton <a href="https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1955295153079586937">accused</a> O&#8217;Rourke of &#8220;blatantly&#8221; violating a temporary restraining order &#8220;by continuing to fundraise and pay for the personal expenses of runaway Democrat legislators.&#8221; Last week, Tarrant County, Texas, District Court Judge Megan Fahey <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/beto-orourke-blocked-financially-supporting-texas-democrats-fled-state-rcna224002">barred</a> O&#8217;Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, from funding the group of 50 Democrats who fled the state to stop a vote on a GOP-backed Congressional map.
Paxton alleges that O&#8217;Rourke violated the restraining order immediately after it was issued by telling a crowd of supporters that he would continue fundraising for the runaway Democrats. O&#8217;Rourke also told the crowd that Democrats should “f*** the rules” and “win whatever it takes,&#8221; calling on Democrat-led states to redraw Congressional maps to take seats away from Republicans, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/f-the-rules-beto-goes-off-the-rails-says-dems-will-win-whatever-it-takes">reported</a>.
&#8220;There are no refs in this game, f*** the rules, we are going to win whatever it takes. We’re going to take this to him in every way that we can,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said.
In a press release, Paxton said that O&#8217;Rourke &#8220;is wrong on both counts.&#8221;
&#8220;There is a referee—the Honorable Megan Fahey—and there are rules—namely, that a person violating a temporary restraining order can be fined up to $500 and jailed for up to six months,&#8221; the Texas attorney general added. &#8220;Given Robert Francis&#8217;s vulgar disdain for the rule of law and immense personal wealth, imprisonment is absolutely necessary to persuade him to obey the lawful restraining order issued by the Tarrant County court.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: I&#8217;m taking action to hold Robert Francis O&#8217;Rourke in contempt for violating a court order and scamming Texans.
Beto is about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas.
It&#8217;s time to lock him up. <a href="https://t.co/JZO4cbBkt1">pic.twitter.com/JZO4cbBkt1</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1955295153079586937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Beto told me to &#8216;come and take,&#8217; so I did and beat him in court. Now, he still thinks he&#8217;s above the law, so I&#8217;m working to put him behind bars,&#8221; Paxton continued.
O&#8217;Rourke shot back at Paxton in a post on X, accusing the attorney general of &#8220;lying about me to try to silence us.&#8221;
&#8220;We alerted the Court that the AG&#8217;s office blatantly lied in its filing. We’re seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke added. &#8220;Taking the fight directly to this corrupt, lying thug.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
He&#8217;s lying about me to try to silence us.
Here’s the full clip. I mean every word.
We alerted the Court that the AG&#8217;s office blatantly lied in its filing. We’re seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office.
Taking the fight directly to this corrupt, lying thug. <a href="https://t.co/JAfKR3xyH3">https://t.co/JAfKR3xyH3</a> <a href="https://t.co/uQFCG3Jmsg">pic.twitter.com/uQFCG3Jmsg</a>
— Beto O&#8217;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1955349238956585078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Paxton launched an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourke-led-group-under-investigation-over-potential-bribes-to-help-runaway-texas-dems">investigation</a> into O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s group last week after it was reported that Powered by People was bankrolling the Texas Democrats who shirked their responsibilities in the state House and fled to Illinois to block a vote on the new Congressional map. The group of Democrats faces a daily $500 fine, along with living expenses in Illinois.
Powered by People <a href="https://poweredxpeople.org/what-we-do/">focuses</a> on organizing volunteers to help Democrats win elections in “competitive Texas battleground districts.” The leftist group says it is also “focused on creating long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.”
The Democratic legislators <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/texas-democrats-illinois-vow-stay-special-session-ends-despite-st-charles-bomb-threat-greg-abbotts-arrests/17504587/">remain</a> out of the state this week, defying last Friday&#8217;s deadline that Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows put in place for their return. The Democrats vowed to stay out of Texas past the 30-day special session, but Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abbott-vows-to-hold-special-sessions-in-texas-for-years-until-delinquent-dems-return">said</a> on Sunday that he would continue to call special sessions.
“I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days. And as soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one,” the governor said.
“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the capitol. If they want to evade that arrest, they’re gonna have to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years,” he added. “They might as well just start voting in California or voting in Illinois, wherever they may be.”

Ken Paxton, Beto O’Rourke

Ken Paxton Seeks To Put Democrat Beto O’Rourke ‘Behind Bars’ Over Fundraising For AWOL Dems

Beto O'Rourke

Courts

Jail

Ken Paxton

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said that he is open to using &#8220;every tool&#8221; to go after the 50+ Democratic state representatives who fled the state to block a vote on a new GOP-backed congressional map.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-gov-greg-abbott-moves-amp-pressure-democrats-fled-redistricting-rcna223581?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=Click%20here&amp;utm_campaign=Gov%20Abbott%20push%208.8.25">NBC News</a> that aired on Friday morning, Abbott said that state officials are preparing to arrest the Democrats who ran off to Illinois earlier this week. The governor would not say if the FBI should get involved, but added, &#8220;All I can say is we&#8217;re going to use every tool that we can to make sure that these runaway Democrats are going to be held accountable.&#8221;
Abbott told NBC News that it doesn&#8217;t matter how long Texas Democrats shirk their responsibilities in the legislature, saying that he will push the congressional map through, even if it takes years. The new map would likely <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-republicans-drop-new-congressional-map-that-would-flip-5-democrat-seats-red?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Texas+Republicans+Drop+New+Congressional+Map+That+Would+Flip+5+Democrat+Seats+Red">boost</a> the GOP&#8217;s hold on the Texas delegation by five seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
&#8220;Democrats act like they&#8217;re not going to come back as long as this is an issue. That means they&#8217;re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I&#8217;m going to call special session after special session after special session with the same agenda items on there,&#8221; he said.
Abbott defended the push for the new congressional map in his state, saying that &#8220;both the law and facts have changed since we drew the lines back in 2021.&#8221;
&#8220;A lot of people who voted Republican, who voted for Donald Trump, were trapped into Democrat districts,&#8221; the governor said. &#8220;And so when you look at the facts, when you look at the law, there is every reason to go ahead and draw the lines so that we can assure that every voter is going to have the opportunity to vote for their candidate of choice.&#8221;
The new map would give Republicans nearly 80% of the state&#8217;s congressional districts. The move from Texas Republicans has resulted in some Democratic leaders threatening to take seats away from Republicans through redistricting in other states. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier this week that his state would &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-threatens-retaliation-says-texas-redistricting-will-trigger-new-california-election-maps?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Newsom+Threatens+Retaliation%2C+Says+Texas+Redistricting+Will+%E2%80%98Trigger%E2%80%99+New+California+Election+Maps">punch back</a>&#8221; if Texas approves its new congressional map.
Texas can&#8217;t approve the Republican-favored map, however, until enough Democrats show up to reach a quorum.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said on Thursday that the FBI agreed to assist Texas in tracking down the AWOL Democrats after he sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-assisting-texas-in-hunt-for-runaway-democrats-gop-senator-says">reported</a>. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment when The Daily Wire reached out to the bureau.
President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the FBI &#8220;may have to&#8221; get involved in finding the Texas Democrats. Republicans pushing for the FBI to get involved sparked outrage among Democratic leaders in Washington.
&#8220;Shouldn&#8217;t the FBI be tracking down terrorists, drug traffickers and child predators? The Trump administration continues to weaponize law enforcement to target political adversaries,&#8221; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/hakeemjeffries/status/1953468425273024976">said</a>.
&#8220;This is authoritarianism. Plain and simple,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1953571261956698298">added</a> Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). &#8220;Texas Democrats are standing up for Democracy, and Republicans want to send in the federal government to round them up? That is not American.&#8221;
Texas Republicans are also going after a group <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">bankrolling</a> Texas Democrats as they block the vote. On Wednesday, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourke-led-group-under-investigation-over-potential-bribes-to-help-runaway-texas-dems">launched</a> an investigation into Powered by People, a Left-wing political organization led by Texas Democrat Beto O&#8217;Rourke. Paxton said the group might have violated laws on bribery, campaign finance, and abuse of office.

Abbott Vows To Use ‘Every Tool’ To Round Up And Arrest Runaway Texas Dems

Abbott Vows To Use 'Every Tool' To Round Up And Arrest Runaway Texas Dems

Congress

Republicans

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation Wednesday into a group led by Democrat Beto O’Rourke that is bankrolling dozens of Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to block a vote on new congressional maps.
Paxton said that O’Rourke’s group, Powered by People, might have violated laws on bribery, campaign finance, and abuse of office. Powered by People is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">funding</a> a group of 50 state Democrats who are each facing a $500 daily fine after fleeing to Illinois, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">reported</a>.
“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said. “Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation. These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: I just launched an investigation into Beto O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s radical group for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.
Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable. <a href="https://t.co/PV2IdwNOBd">pic.twitter.com/PV2IdwNOBd</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1953188955807273440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
O’Rourke — who ran failed presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial campaigns — shot back at Paxton’s investigation, <a href="https://x.com/BetoORourke/status/1953228139271995756">writing</a> on X, “The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five Congressional seats.”
Paxton was impeached by the Texas state House in 2023 on bribery charges, but he was later acquitted by the state Senate. The Texas attorney general is now challenging incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 U.S. Senate race.
Powered by People <a href="https://poweredxpeople.org/what-we-do/">focuses</a> on organizing volunteers to help Democrats win elections in “competitive Texas battleground districts.” The leftist group says it is also “focused on creating long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.”
Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows set a Friday deadline for the Democrats to return to the legislature, but the 50 representatives are hoping to keep their stunt going and are pleading for donations as they remain in Illinois, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-democrats-walkout-trump-payments-59966a83df7cbaa43ee7e410eed2fc08">reported</a>. The House Democratic Caucus set up a website for donations of up to $2,500.
“We’re getting a lot of small-dollar donations, and that’s going to be used to help keep this thing going,” said Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu.
“We’ve already been inundated with donations from across the state of Texas, from across the country, just regular people donating $5, $10, $15,” Democratic state Rep. James Talarico said. “And that’s appropriate, because this fight is for the people and it should be funded by the people. We don’t have billionaires who are funding this operation.”
Earlier this week, Paxton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-ag-asks-judge-to-officially-remove-awol-dems-from-seats">said</a> he would seek judicial orders to remove the AWOL Democrats from office over their “refusal to perform legislative duties.” Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has also pushed to remove Wu from office over the state representative’s refusal to show up for the redistricting vote and reach quorum.
Sen. Cornyn has also asked the FBI to help round up the Democrats and bring them back to the state. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the bureau “may have to” get involved.

Beto O’Rourke

Beto O’Rourke-Led Group Under Investigation Over Potential Bribes To Help Runaway Texas Dems

General

Illinois

Investigation

Republican Governor Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu from office after he, along with 50 other Democratic lawmakers, left the state to block a vote on GOP-backed congressional redistricting. 
Wu and the other Democrats fled Texas on Sunday to deny Republicans the quorum needed to proceed. Abbott filed a <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/In_re_Abbott_Petition_%28FINAL%29_-_Filed.pdf">lawsuit</a> seeking to remove Wu from office, claiming he was violating the state Constitution and effectively forfeiting his seat. 
“What is at stake here? Nothing less than the future of Texas. If a small fraction of recalcitrant lawmakers choose to run out the clock today, they can do so for any, and every, Regular or Special Session, potentially bankrupting the State in an attempt to get their way,” Abbott wrote. “That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.”
“If representatives are free not to show up whenever they choose, then Texans simply do not have a representative government. In fact, they don’t have a functioning government at all. This Court should make clear that a legislator who does not wish to perform his duties will be stripped of them,” the suit added. 
The suit argues that leaving a constitutionally mandated session “constitutes a forfeiture of office” and that soliciting donations to cover the $500 daily fee legislatures face for missing the session is bribery. 
The redistricting maps set to be considered by the Texas House are expected to create five new favorable congressional districts for Republicans. 
Wu claimed Tuesday that his actions were noble. 
&#8220;Let me be unequivocal about my actions and my duty. When a governor conspires with a disgraced president to ram through a racist gerrymandered map, my constitutional duty is to not be a willing participant,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/greg-abbott-lawsuit-house-democratic-caucus-chair-gene-wu-redistrictin-rcna223286">said</a> in a statement. 
Trump has backed the GOP-led redistricting efforts, saying that Republicans &#8220;are entitled to five more seats.&#8221; 
​​“We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas,” Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/trump-texas-redistricting-00493624">told</a> CNBC. “I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-threatens-retaliation-says-texas-redistricting-will-trigger-new-california-election-maps?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Newsom+Threatens+Retaliation%2C+Says+Texas+Redistricting+Will+‘Trigger’+New+California+Election+Maps">vowed</a> to “fight fire with fire” if the Texas redistricting efforts move forward, saying such a move would “trigger” a California response that would put a retaliatory redistricting proposal before voters in November.

Abbott Moves To Oust Democrat Who Led Texas Walkout Stunt

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday threatened to “punch” back if Texas moves forward with GOP-led plans to redraw its congressional district maps. 
Newsom made the comments as California Democrats consider retaliatory redistricting if Texas moves to redraw its congressional boundaries. He said such a move by Texas would &#8220;trigger&#8221; a California response that would put their retaliatory proposal before voters in November. 
&#8220;They’ve triggered this response and we’re not going to roll over and we’re going to fight fire with fire, but we’re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/all-out-war-fleeing-texas-dems-side-newsom-redistricting-standoff-continues-fire-fire">said</a>. &#8220;We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we’re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.&#8221;
Newsom added that California Democrats&#8217; plans to redraw the maps would not materialize if Texas backed off. 
“I hope they do the right thing, and if they do, then there’ll be no cause for us to have to move forward,” he <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-08-04/california-texas-redistricting-fight-newsom-abbott">said</a>. 
More than 50 House Democrats in Texas fled the state on Sunday to block a quorum of the legislature from considering new election maps that could yield five more Republican-favorable seats. 
The fight in Texas is still developing as the state House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-house-issues-arrest-warrants-for-rogue-democrats-who-fled-to-blue-states?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Texas+House+Issues+Arrest+Warrants+For+Rogue+Democrats+Who+Fled+To+Blue+States">moved forward</a> on Monday to direct the sergeant-at-arms to track down and arrest the AWOL Democrats. The order is not enforceable outside of Texas, so it will likely have little effect, as most Democrats fled to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott gave the Democrats until 3:00 p.m. on Monday to return to the state or face expulsion from office.
In 2010, California voters approved Proposition 20, a constitutional amendment that transferred redistricting authority to an independent commission. This means that voters would have to approve any new maps in a special election, giving the Democrats a short time to draft the maps and prepare for the November ballot.
Democrats currently control about 83% of California’s 52 congressional seats and hold a supermajority in the state legislature. In 2024, Kamala Harris won California with about 59% of the vote, and Democrat Adam Schiff won his Senate race with similar margins. 
Republicans are opposing any plans to redraw the California maps.
&#8220;While Governor Newsom frames this redistricting as a defensive move, it undermines California’s nationally respected, voter-approved Citizens Redistricting Commission, and if successful, sets a dangerous precedent that voters’ choices can be overruled whenever politicians find it politically convenient,&#8221; California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin told Fox News. &#8220;Our primary concern is safeguarding Californians’ constitutional rights against partisan manipulation disguised as defending democracy; true democracy means empowering voters, not politicians, to decide representation.&#8221;

California Gov. Newsom Discusses Texas’ Redistricting Plan

Newsom Threatens Retaliation, Says Texas Redistricting Will ‘Trigger’ New California Election Maps

Gavin Newsom

Democrats — who have a habit of puffing out their chests as they boast of their courage — are having a very tough time with continued Republican victories as their poll numbers continue to be in the trash. All of this is now manifesting in their latest routine in Texas.
Texas Republicans are looking right now at redistricting the state congressionally, a process called gerrymandering.
That’s quite typical around the United States. Every state has some form of gerrymandering — and some of the worst gerrymandered states are Democrat-dominated states.
If you look at a map of Illinois with its congressional districts, it looks insane. The congressional districts make no sense because they&#8217;re all over the place. One congressional district, the 13th, looks like a snake that travels halfway through the state, and that is juxtaposed with the 17th congressional district, which was created simply to get to a Democratic majority.
<div id="attachment_956575" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-956575" class="size-large wp-image-956575" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-384x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: @kerpen/X. https://x.com/kerpen/status/1952175690176221608" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2025-02-18-PM-2730-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Screenshot: @kerpen/X</div>
The attempt to treat gerrymandering as though it is unnatural and those kinds of politics are only pursued by one side — which is what the Democrats are claiming — is absolute nonsense.
The Texas state Republicans are now attempting to re-gerrymander the state. Texas Democrats have threatened that they would run away from the state so the state legislature cannot reach a quorum.
In order for them to do that, they have to claim that the gerrymandering is an authoritarian threat to democracy, as opposed to a way that congressional districts have been created since the beginning of our Republic.
There is nothing new here. Elbridge Gerry, from whom the word “gerrymander” is derived, was the Vice President of the United States who served under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1814.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2252-texas-democrats-run-away-plus-the-real-gaza-starvation?elementPosition=1&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
But according to former Barack Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, what the Texas Republicans are doing is “authoritarian” and a “threat to democracy.” Holder, who once called himself Barack Obama&#8217;s “wingman,” stated, “What we&#8217;re seeing now is an attempt by the White House to insulate itself from any kind of congressional scrutiny, any kind of congressional oversight, to make sure that Donald Trump remains the authoritarian figure that he has become. We have a compliant Congress, and he wants to ensure that given the fact that they pass this bill — that is unpopular, that takes healthcare away from people, that gives tax breaks to billionaires, and it puts at risk the Republican majority — that he continues to have that compliant Republican House of Representatives.”
The idea that the president is responsible for gerrymandering as opposed to the party that happens to be in control of the particular state legislature is ridiculous.
So what are Texas Democrats doing? They&#8217;re doing what they&#8217;ve done before. They&#8217;re running away.
POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/08/04/the-mess-with-texas-00491589">reported</a> on Monday:
<blockquote>When the Texas legislature reconvenes today at 4 p.m. ET, it will be 57 Democrats short of a quorum. While a small number of Democratic legislators remain in Austin, many more have fled. Instead, some will be in New York, meeting with Gov. Kathy Hochul; they’ll hold a media availability at 10 a.m. in Albany. Others will be hunkered down at an undisclosed hotel in the Chicagoland area; Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is providing them with logistical support. Still others are expected in Boston for the National Conference of State Legislators.</blockquote>
There&#8217;s great irony that legislators from Texas are fleeing to Chicago, considering Illinois one of the most gerrymandered states in America. Illinois Democratic governor J.B. Pritzker is providing them with logistical support, which is no shock, as he wants to run for president in 2028.
Texas Democratic State Representative James Talarico told POLITICO, “I’m hoping that what we’ve heard from blue state lawmakers talking about retaliation may give Texas Republicans pause, it may give Speaker Mike Johnson pause, because he’s got members in blue states that may lose their seats if this escalates further.”
POLITICO continued:
<blockquote>Aboard the bus, he and other members talked about how Abraham Lincoln once broke quorum in the Illinois state legislature by jumping out of a window. “Everybody is hungry and tired, but in good spirits,” Talarico told Playbook.</blockquote>
The genuine heroism of these people.
This is not the first time Texas Democrats have run away to break the quorum. They did this back in 2021; in doing so, they released some of the worst social media ever. They went to Washington, D.C., and started releasing photos of themselves eating salads and talking about what absolute heroes they were.
Talarico was on Joe Rogan’s show recently, where he promoted a bunch of very Left-wing ideas that Rogan — who is not a Right-winger, possibly a heterodox person who voted for Donald Trump, but not traditionally conservative — started buying into. 
“My Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump&#8217;s redistricting power grab,” Talarico huffed, adding:
<blockquote>Trump told our Republican colleagues to redraw the political maps here in Texas in the middle of the decade to get him five more seats and protect his majority in Congress. They&#8217;re turning our districts into crazy shapes to guarantee the outcome they want in the 2026 elections. If this power grab succeeds, they will hang on to power without any accountability from the voters. But Texas Democrats are fighting back. We&#8217;re leaving the state, breaking quorum and preventing Republicans from silencing our voices and rigging the next election.</blockquote>
“We are not fighting for the Democratic Party,” he puffed. “We are fighting for the democratic process. And the stakes could not be higher. We have to take a stand.”
“We have to take a stand.” 
By running away.
That, assuredly, must be the only way to take a stand.
“Brave Sir Robin ran away — bravely.”
Run away? Yes. They are so brave.
I am loving every element of this tremendous bravery.
This demonstrates the extent to which Democrats are in real national trouble. They&#8217;re in trouble in states such as Texas.
California has already been basically gerrymandered to death by the Democrats, so this is nothing new. The Democrats are whimpering, “If you go after Texas, we might redistrict California.”
They already did it. How many more seats are they going to take away from Orange County? There&#8217;s not that much more they can do to gerrymander Republicans out of existence in places like California.
All of the posturing speaks to the desperation of Democrats; they have no national brand. Whatever national brand they might possibly have is quite negative.
So they run away.

Texas Democratic Lawmakers Flee State In Effort To Halt Redistricting Legislation

Texas Democrats Fight Back — By Running Away

Austin

Ben Shapiro

J.B. Pritzker

Opinion

U.S. Politics

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott threatened Sunday to remove dozens of House Democrats from office after they fled to the state to block a GOP-led redistricting plan during a special session of the legislature. 
In a <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-statement-on-house-democratic-quorum-break">statement</a>, Abbott gave more than 50 Democrats who left the state to deny a quorum &#8211; effectively halting the legislative process &#8211; until 3:00 p.m. on Monday to return or face removal proceedings. Abbott said that the actions of the Democrats amounted to “an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office” and that Texas law empowered him to fill the vacancies. 
“Real Texans do not run from a fight. But that’s exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did,” Abbott said. “Rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business.”
The special session, which began on July 21, was set to address a variety of issues, including redistricting, flood relief, abortion, and taxes. Democrats could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-republicans-drop-new-congressional-map-that-would-flip-5-democrat-seats-red">lose</a> as many as five House seats if Republican-backed maps are implemented, prompting backlash from state and national Democrats. 
“The absconded Democrat House members were elected to meet and vote on legislation—not to prevent votes that may not go their way,” Abbott said. “Every session, legislators on both sides of the aisle find themselves on the losing side of a legislative vote. And every session, most of those legislators find a way to disagree agreeably and behave like adults, rather than going AWOL.”
Abbott also said that some Democrats could face bribery charges if they solicited donations to pay for the $500 daily fine for skipping the special session. 
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also called for the truant Democrats to be arrested. 
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” he <a href="https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1952114350153490634">said</a>. “We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
The Texas Democrats went to Illinois, where they held a press conference on Sunday alongside Democrat Governor JB Pritzker. 
&#8220;Governor Abbott is doing this in submission to Donald Trump so that Donald Trump can steal these communities’ power and voice,&#8221; Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-democrats-head-illinois-deny-republicans-quorum-redistricting-rcna222743">claimed</a>. &#8220;We will not be complicit in the destruction of our own communities. We&#8217;re not here to play political games, we&#8217;re here to demand an end to this corrupt process.&#8221;
Texas House Democrats have previously fled the state in efforts to block other legislation from being passed, including an election integrity bill in 2021. That bill ended up passing after a weeks-long standoff that ended when a quorum was restored after the vacant lawmakers were threatened with arrest.

Governor Abbott Holds News Conference On Winter Weather Moving Through Texas

Abbott To AWOL Texas Democrats: Respect Voters Or Be Removed

JB Pritzker

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott provided another tragic update on the catastrophic floods on Tuesday, saying that 161 people remain missing in Kerr County, Texas, while another 12 people are still missing in other parts of the state.
Earlier on Tuesday, <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1942691818065580061">reports</a> had the number of those missing at 40, but the governor&#8217;s latest update reveals an even grimmer situation after the state was devastated by the floods that hit over the July Fourth holiday. The death toll from the flooding across the state reached 109 on Monday, including dozens of children.
“To put this into perspective &#8230; there are far more fatalities than there were in Hurricane Harvey. That’s how catastrophic this is,” Abbott <a href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/07/08/texas-gov-greg-abbott-provides-latest-numbers-regarding-fatalities-missing-people-in-hill-country-floods/">said</a>, giving an <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1942682122839376065">update</a> from Hunt, Texas, in Kerr County.
&#8220;Know this: We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-floods-live-updates-death-passes-100-rcna217415/rcrd84625?canonicalCard=true">added</a>. &#8220;Know this also: There very likely could be more added to that list.&#8221;
Five young girls and one counselor remain missing from Camp Mystic, the Christian girls&#8217; camp that took the brunt of the flooding when the Guadalupe River in Central Texas rose more than 30 feet in under an hour in some spots. Camp Mystic said on Monday that the death toll of campers and counselors had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unimaginable-tragedy-camp-mystic-says-27-campers-and-counselors-killed-in-sudden-flash-floods?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Unimaginable+Tragedy%E2%80%99%3A+Camp+Mystic+Says+27+Campers+And+Counselors+Killed+In+Sudden+Flash+Floods">risen</a> to 27.
Emergency responders have rescued at least 850 people. One United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer, Scott Ruskan, is credited with saving 165 people, most of them children, alone.
As more days go by in the rescue operation, however, hope for finding anyone alive fades into dread that any bodies found will only add to the already-large death toll.
“The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody who was affected by this flood,” Abbott said.
Flood victims include children such as 8-year-olds, Renee Smajstrla and Eloise Peck, who were attending Camp Mystic, and 64-year-old Sherry Richardson, whose cabin in Liberty Hill, Texas, was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07/08/us/texas-floods/d4fb0256-df9f-5328-a32a-8b77c20670c0?smid=url-share">swept away</a> on Saturday morning. The bodies of sisters Blaire and Brooke Harber were <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/sisters-found-hands-locked-together-following-20630269.php">found</a> 15 miles from where the flood waters washed them away from a cabin near the river, according to the Houston Chronicle. Blair and Brooke, ages 11 and 13, were found clinging to each other while holding rosaries, their aunt said.

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