Texas Democrat Reacts as Abbott Asks State Supreme Court to Remove Him [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Aug 05, 2025 at 9:01 PM EDT


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. 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.

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."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/texas-democrat-reacts-greg-abbott-redistricting-lawsuit-2109428