A bomb threat came in around 6:15 a.m. to the Q Center, a gated hotel complex on Fifth Avenue in St. Charles, where more than 50 members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus were staying.
Police responded quickly, and 400 guests, including members of the delegation, were evacuated from the hotel, while police searched the premises with K-9s. No device was found, and, a few hours later, authorities gave the all clear. Guests were allowed to return.
The security scare prompted the delegation to cancel an event that had been planned with Durbin Wednesday.
"All members are safe; everything is fine, and we are charting the course forward," said Kendall Scudder, Texas Democratic Party chairman. "It's going to take more than a couple of threats to try to scare Texas Democrats off of this course. It is essential to us and what we believe as Democrats that people deserve representation in our government, and we are moving full steam ahead.
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu, Mexican American Legislative Caucus Chair Rep. Ramón Romero and Texas Legislative Black Caucus Chair Rep. Barbara Gervin Hawkins issued a statement saying, "This morning, a threat was made against the safety of the members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred. We are grateful for Governor Pritzker, local, and state law enforcement for their quick action to ensure our safety."
It was a startling awakening for lawmakers, who are now calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to ratchet down the rhetoric.
"Around 7:30 in the morning, we woke up to alarms throughout the hotel telling us that there had been a bomb threat made on the hotel and to evacuate immediately. It was a repeated alarm about every 30 seconds or so," said state Rep. John Bucy, a Democrat from Austin. "We need Greg Abbott to speak up against these actions. We need the attorney general to speak up against this actions this morning. They deserve to quiet this because they are the ones that lit the flame of instigation here. We are in a political fight, but when the attorney general tells his sycophant followers to hunt them down, what does he think is going to happen? They are using a match to try to intimidate us, and it's unacceptable."
This comes on the third day of the standoff over gerrymandered maps that Texas Republicans are trying to bring to a vote. The move is supported by President Donald Trump, and it could help Republicans in Congress pick up as many as five seats in the midterm election next year.
Democrats left the state to prevent a quorum in the Texas House and stall any vote, and the Texas governor is now trying to vacate the seat of the head of the Democratic caucus, which Democrats claim he has no authority to do.
"Greg Abbot is not our boss," Scudder said. "Donald Trump is not our boss. Ken Paxton is not our boss. The people of Texas are our boss. If they would like to fire our members, they have the right to do that in November of 2026. It is not the job of the governor. It is a clear violation of the separation of powers. He is just performing for his base. So I call on the governor to start ratcheting down tensions, to pull this off the special session agenda."
Abbott is asking the Texas Supreme Court to remove Wu from office for being absent from the special session. Democrats claim that's illegal.
Abbott is also calling for absent Democrats to be arrested and returned to Texas.
"The first day that we were out, we had our leadership positions threatened. The second day that we were out, we had our personal finances threatened. And now, on the third day, we've had our lives threatened, and we are not deterred," state Rep. Ann Johnson said.
Gov. JB Pritzker responded to the threat Wednesday morning on X saying, "I am aware of reports that threats were made against Texas elected officials in our state. Threats of violence will be investigated and those responsible will be held accountable. I have instructed @ILStatePolice to ensure we maintain public safety."
Pritzker claimed a social media post may have prompted the security threat.
"There was a right-wing podcaster who took a video of where they're staying, posted it, put a map up to point exactly what hotel they're at. That happened before the bomb threat was issued," he said.
"When somebody from as high as offices those two begin to say that we're going to hunt these people down. You know, they know what that means. Those are incendiary comments," said state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., a Democrat from Fort Worth, Texas.
Abbott does not appear to be letting up.
"It's my understanding that the FBI is going to search for these derelict Texas House members, in whatever state they may be in, and help identify them, and maybe work with us to bring them back," Abbott said.
Abbott wants the Democrats back in the state in time for a vote on Friday, when the house reconvenes. They said they are determined to stay away at least until Aug. 19, when the special session ends.
"A threat of violence against public officials is an attack on the very foundations of our democracy. I'm grateful no one was harmed and thank law enforcement and Governor Pritzker for their swift response to keep everyone safe. I stand with the Texas lawmakers who are bravely defending free and fair elections in the face of intimidation. In a democracy, we resolve our differences with votes-not violence," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents that part of St. Charles.
Due to security concerns, a spokesman for the Texas Democrats said it's unlikely they will be holding any events Wednesday, but they have made it clear they are not backing down in their fight over the maps.
St. Charles police say no one in custody for the bomb threat; it is still under investigation.