I served in the Texas House for 14 years, including three terms as a Republican in a Democratic-majority chamber. It wasn’t always easy, but we never broke quorum and ran. We stayed, we fought, and we did our jobs—because that’s what we were elected to do.
So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m not swayed by the manufactured outrage surrounding this quorum break. I’ve been here long enough to know that redistricting has always been partisan—whether it’s Republicans drawing the maps or Democrats doing the same.
Breaking quorum isn’t new. It’s a pattern.
In 2003, during the mid-decade redistricting fight, 51 House Democrats—nicknamed the “Killer Ds”—fled to Ardmore, Oklahoma to block the vote. Not to be outdone, 11 Senate Democrats later fled to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Why? To try and stop then-Congressman Tom DeLay’s plan to redraw congressional districts and reflect the new Republican majority. It made national headlines, delayed the inevitable for months, and cost taxpayers a fortune. But it didn’t change the outcome—the redistricting plan passed in a third special session.
Fast forward to 2021, and another 50+ House Democrats hopped a plane to Washington, D.C. to try to stop a Republican-backed election integrity bill. Again, they broke quorum. Again, they sought media attention. Again, they failed. The bill passed, just like the maps did in 2003.
Now in 2025, we’re seeing the same stunt all over again. Once more, House Democrats are refusing to do the job they were elected to perform. Governor Abbott is right to put consequences in place for legislators who walk out on their responsibilities. Texans deserve better than lawmakers who abandon their posts when they don’t get their way.
Breaking quorum isn’t bold—it’s tired. It’s wasteful. And it’s beneath the dignity of public service.
Running away doesn’t make you brave; it just wastes taxpayer dollars. Staying and taking the fight to the ballot box is how democracy works. I lost a lot of votes in the minority. I didn’t like it, but I respected it and moved on to fight another day. And even as a conservative Republican to the right of many in my own caucus, I lost plenty of votes in the majority too. But I showed up. I voted. I stayed in the arena—because that’s the job.
If you don’t like the map, don’t run from the Capitol. Run a better campaign and earn the right to draw the next one.
And here’s the real kicker: if your party hasn’t won a statewide race in Texas since 1994—the same year Forrest Gump hit theaters, Friends premiered on NBC, and Americans were still using AOL trial CDs—the issue might not be the maps. It might be your message.
Texans haven’t rejected Democrats because of district lines. They’ve rejected them at the ballot box, over and over again—because the party keeps drifting further away from the values of everyday Texans: secure borders, safe neighborhoods, fiscal responsibility, energy independence, and the freedom to raise a family without government interference.
Redistricting isn’t a crisis. It’s a consequence. Win elections, or don’t. But stop pretending this is anything new.
Wayne Christian is the 50th and current Texas Railroad Commissioner. He is also a former Vice-Chair of Regulated Industries.