3:06The State Capitol is depicted on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Texas House Democrats who departed the state to obstruct a vote on new congressional maps are set to return to Texas, believing they have succeeded in their objective of halting the initial special session, raising awareness, and igniting national opposition to the mid-decade redistricting, multiple sources confirmed to ABC station KTRK and ABC News on Tuesday.
A source informed ABC News that the House Democrats have a tentative plan to return this weekend. However, the source mentioned that those plans could be altered if Republicans do not uphold their commitment to initiate a second special session on Friday.
In a press release on Tuesday that did not disclose specific intentions, House Democrats declared victory, asserting that they "have terminated this corrupt special session on behalf of Texas families — precisely what we promised to do when we left the state."
Later on Tuesday, Joshua Rush, spokesperson for the Texas House Democratic Caucus, conveyed to ABC News that their plans remain flexible and no decision has yet been made regarding travel.
The State Capitol is depicted on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“Members are still evaluating their approaches for the future and are currently in a private meeting to determine upcoming plans,” he stated. “The decision of when Texas House Democrats, who broke quorum, choose to return home is entirely reliant on the actions taken by the Governor, Speaker, and Texas Republicans in leadership regarding prioritizing flood victims over redistricting that adversely affects Texans.”
Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows mentioned on Tuesday morning that the first special session will conclude on Friday if Democrats do not come back by that time.
Abbott would subsequently call a second special session "immediately," as stated in his announcement. He suggested that the second special session would encompass all items from the first and possibly additional topics — although his office could not specify what those extra topics might be.
Abbott has expressed his intention to convene special sessions, which can extend for a maximum of 30 days, for as long as necessary to approve the maps.
-KTRK's Tom Abrahams contributed to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
