Texas House Democrats are set to end their high-profile standoff and head home after weeks of hiding out in Democrat-friendly states like New York and Illinois to block a special session on redistricting. Their departure from Austin prevented the Republican-led legislature from reaching a quorum, temporarily stalling a congressional map that could give the GOP multiple new seats in the U.S. House.

The lawmakers claimed victory, insisting they succeeded by derailing the first special session and drawing national attention to the issue. But their absence also left the House unable to conduct other legislative business, including disaster relief measures for flood-ravaged Hill Country communities—an issue they now say will be a priority upon return.

Even with their announced plans, the timeline for their return remains murky. Tuesday’s session again fell short of a quorum, with only 95 members present for the second day in a row. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows warned that if the deadlock drags on through Friday, the current session will expire, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to call another one.

Meanwhile, the Texas Senate—where Democrats failed to block the process—approved the new congressional map in a 19-2 vote. Nine Democratic senators walked out, but their absence didn’t prevent passage. The proposed districts would shift the seats of Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar, Greg Casar, Al Green, and Julie Johnson into areas carried by Donald Trump by at least 10.4% in 2024.

Republicans currently hold 219 U.S. House seats to Democrats’ 212, with four vacant. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who earlier sought to have the absconding Democrats’ seats declared vacant, accused them of engaging in an “out-of-state rebellion.”

GOP leaders have defended their redistricting plan by pointing to aggressive maps drawn by Democrats in states like California, New York, and Illinois—moves that have boosted Democratic House representation in recent cycles. After the 2024 elections, California sent 43 Democrats to Congress, up from 40 just two years earlier. In New York, Democrat-drawn boundaries helped flip multiple GOP seats, while Illinois eliminated Republican districts altogether before the 2022 midterms.

While Democrats frame their Texas walkout as a principled stand, critics see it as a political stunt that wasted legislative time and taxpayer money. With the redistricting battle still unresolved and another special session likely, it’s unclear whether their return marks the end of the drama—or just the beginning of round two.