Big donors ready to cover financial penalties if Democrats walk out to halt Texas redistricting

Deep-pocketed donors are ready to cover financial penalties Democrats in the Texas Legislature may face if they leave Austin to stymie Gov. Greg Abbott’s scheme to redraw the state’s congressional maps to favor Republicans, the Texas Tribune reports.

If enough Dems flee the state to stop the current Legislative special session from moving ahead, each of those individual lawmakers could face a fine of $500 daily along with potential arrest. The penalties were set up in a 2023 GOP-backed state law designed to quash future walkouts by the opposition party.

However, national Democratic donors are ready to write checks to cover the fees, the three people involved in the discussions told the Tribune. Having such a financial cushion could embolden state lawmakers to flee the state to quash Abbott’s redistricting plan.

Prolific fundraiser U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, is willing to use her substantial donor base plus $3.7 million in existing campaign funds to help cover the tab, according to the Tribune. However, the congresswoman added that the funds may not even be necessary if Dems mount a vigorous legal defense.

“I think that the first step would be to make sure that there are attorneys on deck to actually challenge the legality of these rules,” Crockett told the Tribune.
To her point, Austin-based campaign finance attorney Andrew Cates told the news outlet he’d be shocked if Texas’ monetary penalties are enforceable.

Either way, Democratic donors appear ready to dig deep should a walkout occur, and people familiar with the ongoing talks said they shouldn’t have trouble covering the expenses. One of those individuals estimated Democrats in the Texas Lege would need around $1 million monthly to sustain their walkout. Abbott placed redistricting on the special session agenda at the behest of President Donald Trump, who’s desperate to gain Republican seats in Texas so he can lessen the blow of what’s likely to be a punishing midterm for his party. The president’s deep unpopularity is likely to drive strong Democratic turnout and shift independent voters away from the GOP, political experts said.

Meanwhile, Democratic voters are desperate to see Texas Democrats stand up to Trump and Abbott. Opponents of the redistricting scheme have swarmed public hearings, decrying the governor’s move as antidemocratic and a racist attempt to dilute the power of Black and Brown voters. 

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This article appears in Jul 23 – Aug 6, 2025.