Texas Democrats Cave & Return From Walkout

The Texas Democratic lawmakers, who left the state in a dramatic walkout to block Republican redistricting plans, have announced their return. This marks the end of a two-week standoff and clears the way for the GOP to approve a new congressional map that enhances representation for conservatives.

The walkout started on August 3, when 57 Democratic legislators left Austin to prevent the Texas House from reaching a quorum, which requires at least 100 of the 150 members to be present to conduct business.

Their goal was to block a redistricting map that could increase the number of Republican districts from 25 to 30 and reduce the number of Democrat-leaning districts from 12 to 8.