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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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Gene Wu, chair of the Democratic Caucus in Texas' House of Representatives, didn't mince words on Tuesday upon reacting to Governor Greg Abbott's request that he be removed from his position.
"This is just purely insanity," Wu told CNN's John King. Hours earlier, Abbott filed an emergency petition asking the Texas state Supreme Court to oust Wu.
Why It Matters
Wu's comments on Tuesday came as Democrats and Republicans in the Lone Star State are in an escalating fight over the GOP's efforts to redraw Texas' congressional map to gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as the 2026 midterms loom.
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The move by the Republican Party prompted Democrats in the state legislature to leave Texas in a push to halt GOP lawmakers from redrawing the map.
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What To Know
"I made clear in a formal statement on Sunday, August 3, that if the Texas House Democrats were not in attendance when the House reconvened at 3:00 PM on Monday, August 4, then action would be taken to seek their removal," the governor said in a press release.
"First of all, this is not my seat and it's sure as hell not Governor Abbott's seat," Wu told CNN in response to Abbott's lawsuit. "This seat belongs to the people of the state of Texas, and I've taken multiple oaths to defend them and to protect them at any cost."
"What we are looking at is a governor who is conspiring with a disgraced president to use unconstitutional, illegal racial gerrymandering to destroy our communities," added Wu, who is a former prosecutor who has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2013. "I have a duty to respond to that. I have an obligation to do everything I can to stop that, using every legal means necessary."
Newsweek reached out to Abbott's office for comment via email on Tuesday.
Abbott's move to file a rare emergency petition straight to the Texas Supreme Court while bypassing lower courts came three days after Democrats walked out of the state's lower chamber.
By leaving the state, Democrats are beyond the reach of Texas law enforcement and can effectively block any votes by ensuring the 150-member House does not have the quorum required to conduct official business. Democrats hold 62 seats in the state House, or a little over a third, and at least two-thirds of all members need to be present for votes to be held.
Republicans in the state have repeatedly threatened to arrest Democrats who fled to Democratic-controlled states, with Abbott issuing an order Monday for Texas' Department of Public Safety to find and apprehend them. The governor said his order would stay in effect until the absent lawmakers are "accounted for and brought back" to Austin.
But even some of the most conservative officials have said the task is easier said than done.
"Until they show up themselves back in Texas, sometimes it's hard to actually execute on that," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who's running for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas in next year's midterms, told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson. "That's one reason they choose Democratic states. It becomes very difficult to execute those warrants when we can't get the cooperation of other states."
President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Texas Republicans' redistricting efforts.
"I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know," he said in a Tuesday interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"And we are entitled to five more seats," he added.
What People Are Saying
Wu said in an earlier statement responding to Abbott's emergency motion: "Unable to defend his corrupt agenda on its merits, Greg Abbott now desperately seeks to silence my dissent by removing a duly-elected official from office. History will judge this moment. It will show a Governor who used the law as a weapon to silence his people, and it will show those of us who stood for a higher principle."
Abbott said in a press release announcing his lawsuit: "Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans. By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty."
What Happens Next
Texas' redistricting move has in turn kicked off a broader fight between blue and red states across the country, with California and New York politicians pledging to fight back by redrawing their own congressional maps to gain more Democratic seats in the U.S. House.
Update 8/5/25, 9:19 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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