Dear John,

After more than two weeks in Illinois, I’ve returned to Texas alongside my fellow House Democrats following a historic quorum break to protect voters from Governor Abbott and Donald Trump’s redistricting power grab.

What we accomplished together is nothing short of extraordinary. By breaking quorum, we forced Abbott to end his first mid-decade redistricting special session, sparked a national conversation on fair maps and representation, inspired legislation in Congress to end gerrymandering, and secured commitments from leaders in other states to stop Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 midterms.

The spark we lit in Texas has become a fire across the country. I could not be prouder of my colleagues in the Texas House Democratic Caucus for taking this bold step to defend our democracy.

Quorum was restored for the second called special session today. Every member is making their own decision about how to move forward, and as of now, I have not returned to the Capitol. Instead, I’m focused on ensuring California passes its maps by their Friday deadline— because their action is key to nullifying Trump and Abbott’s efforts in Texas.

But let me be clear: if Trump and Abbott bring their racist, anti-Austin redistricting scheme to the House floor, I will be there to represent my constituents and vote NO.

The fight for democracy does not end here — we’ve only just begun.

In solidarity,