In a dramatic escalation of Texas’s ongoing political standoff, Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday reportedly warned that Democratic lawmakers who fled the state earlier this week to block a Republican-led redistricting effort could face jail time if they fail to return before a looming deadline.
Appearing on Fox & Friends First, Paxton said the Democrats—who bolted from Texas in protest of the mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts—were defying both their constitutional responsibilities and the will of voters.
“We’re waiting to see if they show up,” Paxton told hosts Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro. “Our speaker is giving them a deadline to show up today. If they show up, we’re happy, can get business done and everything is good. If they do not show up, we will be in an Illinois courtroom to get them back to the state of Texas, hold them in contempt, if they refuse, hopefully put them in jail.”
The Democrats, who have called the redistricting a “power grab” designed to strengthen the GOP’s hold ahead of the 2026 midterms, have instead spent the week out of state, avoiding the quorum required for legislative business. Republicans argue that the lawmakers are abandoning their duties and undermining the democratic process they claim to protect.
Paxton’s stance on the matter has been unyielding. Earlier this week, he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, declaring that Democrats “who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.” His remarks reflect growing frustration among Republicans who say that the lawmakers’ absence is not a principled stand, but an obstructionist maneuver that disenfranchises millions of Texans.
The attorney general is not alone in seeking a forceful resolution. On Thursday, Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, revealed that President Trump’s FBI had agreed to assist in locating and returning the fleeing lawmakers to Texas.
Such a move underscores the seriousness with which Republican leadership views the impasse and signals a willingness to use every available legal channel to enforce the quorum requirement.
For Republicans, the dispute has become about more than redistricting maps—it’s about enforcing accountability for elected officials.
The mid-decade redrawing of districts, GOP leaders argue, is both legal and necessary to reflect population changes and ensure fair representation.
Democrats counter that the process is politically motivated, though Republicans note that similar redistricting moves have been pursued by both parties in other states when politically advantageous.
The showdown has set the stage for a potentially unprecedented intervention, with the prospect of lawmakers being forcibly returned to Texas and possibly jailed for contempt. Paxton made clear that if the lawmakers remain defiant, his office will not hesitate to act.
“If they do not show up,” Paxton reiterated Friday morning, “we will be in an Illinois courtroom to get them back… hopefully put them in jail.”
For now, the question remains whether the absent Democrats will return before the deadline—or whether Texas will see one of the most aggressive enforcement actions against runaway lawmakers in modern political history.
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