Abbott asks court to remove Texas Democrat from office after he left for Illinois over redistricting

AURORA, Ill. (WLS) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is now asking the state Supreme Court to remove House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu from his office.

Wu is one of dozens of the state's Democrats who have come to Illinois as Texas looks to redraw it legislative maps.

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If Republicans are successful in doing so, it will have national implications.

This comes after the Texas attorney general said he will seek to vacate the seats of any Democrats who do not return to the state by Friday.

But the chairman of the Democratic National Committee in the Chicago suburbs on Tuesday said his party is ready to fight fire with fire if Texas Republicans follow through with their remapping plan.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was in Aurora Tuesday, standing with Lone Star State lawmakers, pledging his support.

Texas Democrats who have made Illinois their quorum-breaking home away from home are continuing to sound the alarm over what they call racial and illegal gerrymandering efforts by Texas House Republicans.

They claim the Texas attorney general has no authority to remove them if they stay away, which they intend to do for as long as necessary.

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Texas Democrats rallied with the chairman of the DNC to make their case to voters in Texas and across the country.

"Democrats are fighting back, not rolling over. And I've been saying to these Texas Republicans, if you want a showdown, well you're going to get a showdown. And here it is right now, here in Illinois," DNC Chairman Ken Martin said.

Texas Republicans convened in the State House in Austin once again. And for the second day in a row, they had to adjourn without enough lawmakers on-hand for a quorum.

"The special session is 30 days. That's August, the 19th. The governor has every right under his power to call another special. And he may call another special, another one and another one and another one. We're taking this session by session to determine what our moves are," Democratic Texas state Rep. Barbara Gervin Hawkins said.

Democrats continued their criticism of the Texas governor and others, accusing them of kowtowing to President Donald Trump's push for the remap, which could give Republicans up to five more seats in the House, where they currently hold a razor-thin margin.

"When Donald Trump says, 'jump,' Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton say, 'how high?' They don't care that they're violating the Voting Rights Act, racially gerrymandered their state. Well, they're hoping they can rob the bank and get away before anyone notices," Pritzker said.

"I'm very insulted, and everybody should be offended by the stuff that he thinks he can continue to say," said Charlene Ward Johnson, a Democrat from Houston.

This is day three of a campaign to sway public opinion against what Democrats have characterized as an attempt by Republicans to lie, steal and cheat their way to victory in the 2026 midterms.

"We're here today not because we want to be but because we have to be. Right now, we are facing the voting rights fight of our lifetime," Illinois Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton said.

In a post on X, the GOP of DuPage County pushed back, saying, "Here is Illinois' 4th Congressional district. Texas reps, you seriously came here to complain about unfair maps? Illinois literally invented the concept. Go home!"

But the DNC head said now, blue state governors have to fight the good fight.

"Our constitution is under assault. Voting rights are being completely violated. Now is not the time for one party to play by the rules while the other party is complacent," Martin said. "They decided to cheat; we're gonna respond in kind."

Others invoked the 1965 March to Selma standoff in Alabama that became a turning point in the Civil Rights movement.

"This, my friends, is an Edmund Pettus Bridge moment. This is one of those seminal moments in time that can impact the rest of time," said Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas.

Pritzker continues to carefully choose his words about remapping Illinois, saying it's not something he wants to do, but the option is there.

Abbott called for civil arrest warrants to be issued for all absent Democrats Monday. But because Texas law enforcement has no jurisdiction outside the state, one Texas senator is now asking the FBI to assist. The FBI declined to comment.

The Texas House will reconvene Friday afternoon.