Representative Joe Moody stays in Austin amid redistricting talks, Claudia Ordaz excused due to personal health matter

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Texas House Representative Joe Moody is staying in Austin as many of his Democratic colleagues have left the in protest of the current redistricting plan being debated on the floor of the Texas House.

Moody's office explains that he went to the capitol today and, after the House Speaker declared they had failed to make a quorum, voted against issuing arrest warrants for the absent Democrats.

Other Democrats left the state, with many going to Illinois. They are trying to prevent the progress of a newly-redistricted Congressional map through the Texas House.

Moody released a statement on the situation that reads:

"I fought these corrupt maps in committee and will continue fighting them every chance I get. Republicans aren’t even hiding it—they’ve admitted these maps are meant to silence voices and votes. Trump is destroying our economy, our communities, and our way of life to serve himself, so he knows he’ll lose Congress if he doesn’t cheat. And now the governor is threatening to arrest and remove elected representatives who are using legal, legitimate ways to stand against that.

All of that is the playbook of dictators, not American leaders. And they confirm that we’re at war for our democracy.

I support my fellow Democrats who’ve left the state to protect all Texans' votes. But there are many battles on many fronts in a war. The best way I can fight back is at the Capitol, which is why I’ve chosen to stay now that quorum has been broken. I’ll be looking my Republican colleagues in the eyes and asking them to look into their souls: They know this is wrong.

As for the governor’s threats, while Trump is trying to steal a future election with his maps, our governor wants to steal elections that already happened last year! It’s not just immoral—it’s illegal. He can’t declare vacancies, absolutely can’t fill them, and no honest person could claim a legislative tactic long used by both sides is a crime. It’s disgusting, fascist nonsense.

We need a democracy that works for the people again, one we can all trust. I won’t quit fighting fascism on all fronts until that dream is a reality again."

ABC-7 also received a statement from State Rep. Claudia Ordaz, who says that she has been excused due to a personal health matter. She says she still stands in "full solidarity" with her Democratic colleagues.

Read Ordaz's complete statement below:

"I strongly oppose Texas’ unprecedented, discriminatory mid-decade redistricting scheme orchestrated by Donald Trump to maintain power.

In El Paso, the proposed map strips our community of key assets like Fort Bliss, the El Paso International Airport, and the new Veterans Affairs Health Care Center. It shoves them into a district that stretches across 27 counties all the way to San Antonio. El Pasoans and all Texans deserve representation from their local communities. I will continue to prioritize the needs of every Texan and reject this map.

As a Latina and lifelong El Pasoan, I know what this is really about: silencing communities of color. Once again, Republicans are drawing maps to protect power, not people.

In 2021, Texas gained two new congressional seats thanks to Latino and Black population growth, but Republicans drew both for white-majority districts. The same year, El Paso lost a seat in the Texas House. Those discriminatory maps are now in federal court. And now, they’re trying to do it again.

This time, they’re attempting to add five new Republican seats without a single piece of new data point to justify it. No new census. No new numbers. It’s completely unprecedented and dangerously undemocratic.

Meanwhile, Texas is still reeling from the deadly floods that devastated families across Texas. People have lost everything. Their homes, their pets, their loved ones. They should be our focus, not a political power grab. Redistricting congressional maps during the recovery of a catastrophic natural disaster is disgraceful. If we are serious about governing, this special session should be dedicated to the recovery of these communities.

Though I’ve been excused due to a personal health matter, I stand in full solidarity with my Democratic colleagues who have broken quorum to stop this shameless power grab. They are standing up for every Texan’s right to fair representation."

ABC-7 also reached out to Michael Aboud, the Chairman for the El Paso Republican Party.

Aboud said that Texas Democrats are being hypocritical with their reaction. He says other states like California and Illinois have disproportionate representation in favor of Democratic Congressional seats, and Texas is much better proportioned than them.

"My opinion as far as those Democrats leaving the state, great. You know, stay gone a long time. Take some more Democrats with you," Aboud said.

ABC-7 also was able to speak with Joe Pickett, a former Democratic House Representative for Texas. Pickett was in office when Democrats walked out to prevent a quorum more than twenty years ago. He says this time is very different.

"We were still friends, the Democrats and Republicans," said Pickett. "It's a team sport. It's going to be very difficult for those Democrats who do break quorum. They will be personally attacked in their districts. It's a lot meaner now than it was in the past. That's a big difference."

ABC-7 also reached out to El Paso's other state representatives, including Vince Perez, who said he traveled to Illinois as part of the "quorum break."