ST. CHARLES, Illinois — If Gov. Greg Abbott is determined to pass a gerrymandered congressional map, Texas Democrats know he has the votes and the power to eventually get his way.
But for the dozens of Democrats who left the state this week in protest of the map, it’s not just about winning — it’s about fighting.
Away from their families and regular jobs, Texas Democrats, most of whom are hunkered down in a suburb about an hour west of Chicago, are facing $500-per-day fines, civil arrest warrants and threats from Republican state leaders to remove them from office.