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WASHINGTON — Texas House Democrats who fled Austin closed out their second week in Washington on Friday, insisting they haven’t lost their momentum even though they’re still chasing meetings with President Biden and battling a COVID-19 outbreak.
And they made it clear they don’t like being called runaways.
“We have not run away. I am actually a lot more tired than I probably would have been if we were in a session. We are working day and night and fighting for our democracy,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, pushing back on messaging that the Democrats have abandoned their duties and constituents in Texas.
Since six Texas Democrats tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, members have pivoted to virtual meetings and events, closing out their final day of an online voting rights conference they’ve attended since Monday. On day 15 in Washington, Democrats met with state representatives from Georgia and Florida, two states where “election integrity” efforts mirror those in Texas.
They also spoke to leaders of civic engagement organizations and Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor John Fetterman, a Democrat who has challenged Republican leadership in Texas before.
No member of the delegation has tested positive since Tuesday, and the caucus hopes to return to in-person meetings next week, said Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie. He added that day 15 also marks the halfway point of the special session and is an important milestone for the Democrats.
“Because of the unified efforts and courage and conviction of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, nothing in Greg Abbott’s agenda of far-right priorities… have passed the Texas House of Representatives,” said Turner, who is the chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
But as the fury of their first week dies down, members are still playing a waiting game. Texas Democrats have expressed growing frustration that they’ve been unable to get on President Joe Biden’s schedule, even by video chat.
Asked if the president is avoiding them for fear of contagion, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “No.”
As to why he hasn’t agreed even to meet with them virtually, she added, “The vice president, who is leading our voting rights effort and our voting rights movement we’re building across the country met with these lawmakers last week, as you well know, and the president is very proud of their activism, their vocal support and advocacy for voting rights. But I don’t have any meetings scheduled for him.”
Turner insisted Friday that the Texas Democrats have “a great relationship” and continuous contact with the White House.
Beto O’Rourke, the former El Paso congressman and outspoken party activist and organizer, promised Thursday to push President Joe Biden to meet with the Democrats in Washington. He told the Morning News he called that same day and spoke to several people within the administration in an effort to arrange a meeting.
“I hope their request produces the appropriate response, which is a meeting with the president,” O’Rourke said. “This is the most important thing happening in the country right now, and [the Democrats] are doing more than anyone I know of to advance the cause.”
To bring national attention to the issue, O’Rourke said he, local leaders and over 30 Texas grassroots organizations will march from Georgetown, Texas to Austin on July 31 in a March for Democracy.
“We want people to come from Dallas and Fort Worth and Plano and all over North Texas, and from every part of the state, to fight for the right to vote,” he said. “The only way to expand voting rights is for us to organize, and to march and be out there, because not only do we have to stop this in Texas, we have to advance voting rights legislation in Congress.”