'Come and take it': Texas Democrat says Abbott removal threat 'all bluster'
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu brushed off Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) threat to remove Democrats from the Texas Legislature after they left the Lone Star State in protest of GOP redistricting efforts.
“Frankly, Democrats say, 'Come and take it,'” Wu told CNN’s John Berman in an interview Monday, referring to threats against lawmakers’ seats.
The Democratic state House minority leader reshared a post highlighting his remarks on the social platform X.
Wu said he doesn’t think Abbott’s threat will amount to much.
“No, it's all bluster,” Wu said when asked if he thinks the governor could be successful in taking away Democratic legislators' seats. “Sound and fury signifying nothing.”
Abbott warned Democrats they must be in attendance when the state House reconvenes Monday afternoon, adding, “For any member who fails to do so, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House.”
Abbott also said in his statement that any Democrat who receives funds “to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” may be in violation of felony bribery charges. He made the same threat against those who offer or give funds to the Democrats.
The Democratic legislators left Texas on Sunday — heading to Chicago, New York City and Boston — in order to deny Republicans a necessary quorum to advance their redrawn political maps.
The redrawn congressional maps would give Republicans five additional pickup opportunities in 2026 as the party works to defend its slim majority in the midterms.
Legislative walkouts are rare but have been employed before in Texas, including in 2021 and in 2003, the last time the GOP pursued midcycle redistricting.
“This is not a choice that we take lightly,” Wu told CNN. “To be here in Chicago, we really didn't have a choice. We tried to negotiate [with] Republicans. We tried to talk to them. We tried to reason with them. We tried to tell them that the public is very angry at what they're doing, and they simply wouldn't listen.”
“This was the only way we could protect our constituents and protect the state. What they're doing is not just politics. It's not just affecting lives — this is going to destroy lives,” he added.
Asked how long he planned to stay out of state, Wu said, “Our commitment to this is one day at a time,” adding he’s focused on the current special session.