Democrat State Rep. Who Fled To DC Seeks Congressional Seat

[#TexasPolitics365]

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas) has endorsed Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Crockett to take her seat just days after announcing her intentions to retire.

Crockett, a first-term state representative, made headlines in July as part of the group of Texas lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C., in an attempt to block a vote on the state Republicans‘ elections integrity bill, which eventually passed and was signed into law in September.

(Full story here.)

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Liberal State Legislator Who Fled To DC Joins Lt. Gov. Race

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Democratic state Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton, who gained national attention for joining lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C., to block a Republican election bill this summer, is running for lieutenant governor, expanding her party’s primary to three contenders.

In her campaign announcement on Tuesday, Beckley said she was running because Republican incumbent Dan Patrick is implementing policies that “hurt Texas business and make life harder for all Texans.”

She joins political commentator Matthew Dowd and Houston accountant and auditor Mike Collier, who was the Democratic nominee for the position in 2018.

State Democratic Party chairman Gilbert Hinojosa openly endorsed Collier last month after Dowd, a former Republican consultant, got into the race.

(Full story HERE.)
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Legislators File Impeachment Resolutions Against Two Judges

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Representatives Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) each filed resolutions seeking impeachment of Judge Chris Morton of the 230th District Court in Harris County and Judge Brad Urrutia of the 450th District Court in Travis County.

Both resolutions cite the actions of the respective judges in blocking the arrest of Democrats who refused to attend the House regular and special sessions. The legislators say the judges overstepped their constitutional duties and interfered in the business of the legislature.

(Full story here.)
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GOP Calls For "Consequences" For Fleeing Denocrats

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The Republican Party of Texas has gotten behind several measures designed to punish Democrat House members who fled the state to prevent a quorum in the special session.

The party says it supports the following measures: 

1. Removing quorum breaking Democrats as Committee Chairs.  

2. Amend the rules to automatically revoke committee chairmanships of any member with 15 or more unexcused absences.

3. Enforce a call of the House and arrest absent members if quorum is not maintained. 

Matt Rinaldi, Chairman of the Texas Republican Party said “Democrats have played this childish political charade for far too long. Now that House Republicans have the power of a quorum they should vote immediately to remove Democrat Committee Chairs and take action to maintain a quorum in the future."

(Full story here.)
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House Speaker Dade Phelan Issues Arrest Warrants For Fleeing Democrats

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House Speaker Dade Phelan has signed 52 arrest warrants for Democrats who left the state for Washington D.C. in July and have yet to return to the House chamber for the second special legislative session of the year.

The warrants came after Texas House Republicans voted to direct state law enforcement to track down and compel the attendance of absent Democrats by a vote of 80-12, the second time such a vote has been taken during this quorum-bust.

(Full story here.)
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#Texas Supreme Court Denies Request To Overturn Abbott Veto

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The Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request from Texas state House Democrats to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) veto on funding for the state's legislature.

Filed in June, the petition argued that Abbott's veto was unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers between branches of government.

Abbott vetoed the legislature's funding after a group of state Democrats left Texas to prevent the passage of voting legislation that critics have said would limit voter access.

(Full story here.)
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House Democrats Face Ridicule, Confusion Over Flight Tactic

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Texas House Democrats who fled the state to prevent a quorum during a special session of the legislature, are facing ridicule and confusion within its own ranks, as the end game of the political stunt is increasingly unclear.

A federal lawsuit filed against three Texas Republicans by the wayward House Democrats is gaining a reputation as a must-read legal document, but for all the wrong reasons.

The gaffe-ridden complaint, submitted Friday by an oft-disciplined Houston lawyer now practicing under a probationally suspended license, has been mocked on the right for, among other things, blaming the Republicans for the Democratic legislators’ decision to flee the state.

The complaint, which misspells the house speaker's name, lists 22 House Democrats as plaintiffs, but already state Reps. Nicole Collier and Shawn Thierry have tweeted statements saying that they did not authorize the filing even though their names are on it.

The filing blames Republicans for Democrats fleeing. But dumbfounded critics asked how this was the GOP’s fault, given that the nearly 60 Texas House Democrats who fled on chartered jets to block an elections bill did so over the objections of Mr. Abbott and the Republican-led House.

 
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday that the House Democrats, who absconded to Washington, D.C., last month to break quorum in the GOP-led House, “ought to be embarrassed.”

“Now the same group [is] filing a lawsuit by an attorney that apparently has his law license suspended, didn’t get the speaker’s name right, and [is] suing for a couple of bucks,” Mr. Patrick said on “Fox & Friends.” “They’re just showing how idiotic this whole adventure has been for them, and their credibility just disappears day by day by day.”

Even the White House tended to indicate that the Democrats plan was on its last legs.

At a White House briefing Thursday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki seemed to indicate that President Joe Biden’s administration would support Democrats returning to Austin.

“I can’t say I’m exactly following too closely the legislative calendar there, but certainly if it required them to be there, we would support that,” she told reporters.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said he expected the Democrats to return.

"The Texas House remains committed to fulfilling its responsibilities as soon our Democratic colleagues return from Washington or from their vacations abroad,” said Phelan, a Beaumont Republican. Two of the fleeing Democrats, Reps. Jessica Gonzalez and Julie Johnson are in Portugal for vacation, according to a Texas Monthly reporter. 

(Full story here.)

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Fleeing Democrats Sue Gov, House Speaker For "Discomfort and Embarrassment"

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Nearly two dozen Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month have sued Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican officials, alleging that GOP efforts to bring them back to the state Capitol for a special legislative session infringed on their constitutional rights. 

The 22 plaintiffs have been "deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment," the complaint filed late Friday alleges. 

Abbott, House Speaker Dade Phelan and State Rep. James White are all named as defendants in the case.

White, a candidate for attorney general, says he does not know why he was named in the suit.

(Full story here.)
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Fleeing House Democrats Plot Next Moves As Second Special Session To Begin

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With a Saturday start date set for a second special legislative session, Texas House Democrats who have camped out in the nation’s capital for more than three weeks to stymie a GOP voting bill said they are still mulling their next move.

State Rep. Chris Turner, the Grand Prairie Democrat who leads the party’s caucus in the House, indicated Thursday evening there was no immediate plan yet for the group of Democrats who have denied Republicans the quorum needed to pass the elections bill and several other GOP priorities in a first special session that ends Friday.

(Full story here.)
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Gov. To Call Repeated Special Sessions Until Fleeing Legislators Return

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will continue to call "special session after special session" in an attempt to force Democrats to return to Texas to consider voting reform legislation, Fox News has learned.

"By leaving the state, Democrats walked out on Texans and critical issues in the special session agenda to provide property tax relief, fund our retired teachers, protect our foster children, and secure our southern border," press secretary for the governor, Renae Eze told Fox News. 

"If they didn’t want to do their job to debate and vote on the issues, they shouldn’t have run for office."

(Full story here.)
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Two Texas Democrat Lawmakers Arrested In DC At Protest

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Texas State Rep. Ron Reynolds and U.S. Rep. Al Green were both arrested Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol while demonstrating for federal voting legislation.

The two Democratic lawmakers were at a rally organized by the National Clergy United for Justice that civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton also attended.

(Full story here.)
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Fleeing Democrats In DC Raise Funds, Struggle To Remain United

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With six of the fleeing Democratic legislators in Washington DC coming down with covid-19, and criticism mounting, the State party's attempt to detail the special session of the state legislature seems to be faltering.

Former Senate and presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke raised $600,000 for The fugitive legislators, presenting it in the ballroom of the Washington hotel in which they are staying. The political gamble is expected to cost 1.5 million dollars, which Democrats say they are raising privately.

The fleeing Democrats are fundraising Nationwide for their cause, and have reportedly raised more than $250,000.

Meanwhile, Dallas Democrsts were on Twitter this weekend asking people to send "care packages" to the legislators, who remain holed up in their hotel rooms, shunned by national political leaders out of fear of getting Covid-19 from them. 

Many of them were pictured on a private chartered jet flying to Washington without wearing face masks.

There is also dissension within the 50 or so legislators, as several of them criticized Democrat Reps. Harold Dutton of Houston and Philip Cortez of San Antonio, who both returned to Texas, ostensibly to "negotiate" on the election Reform Bill with Republicans.
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VP Harris, Who Met With Infected Democrats, Visits Walter Reed Hospital

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Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday made an unscheduled "surprise" visit to Walter Reed medical center in Washington after her exposure to Texas Democrats last week. Three of them later tested positive for Covid-19.

White House aides described the visit as "a routine doctor's appointment."

(Full story here.)
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