'They're desperate!' Texas Dem chides MAGA gov as 'trying to look tough' — and failing
The leader of the Texas Democrats chided the state's MAGA-aligned governor on Sunday.
Texas state Democratic Rep. Gene Wu, who chairs the Texas House Democratic Caucus, talked about the redistricting fight occurring in Texas on MSNBC's "The Weekend: Primetime." He described the efforts as a way to distract from much more substantive conversations about the state of American politics.
"They're desperate to talk about anything other than,' Why are you lying, cheating, and stealing from the American people?'" Wu said. "That's the question they don't want to answer. That's the question they want the public to stop asking."
Texas Democrats fled the state to break quorum at the legislature and prevent state Republicans from passing a new election map that would eliminate five Democratic seats. The lawmakers have sought refuge in Illinois.
Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to have the Democrats arrested when they return to the state. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also filed several "nonsense" motions in courts in Illinois and California, Wu said.
"They're going to throw everything they have at us," Wu continued. "Every nonsense thing that they can do in court, they're going to do it."
Wu added that recent public statements from Abbott show the Republican majority in Texas is getting desperate. The Trump administration has been putting pressure on state legislatures to redistrict their maps so the GOP can maintain a majority in Congress following the 2026 primary elections.
"[Abbott] is trying to look tough in a situation where he is getting slammed," Wu said.