The Texas Senate held a packed floor session Tuesday to pass a variety of Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session priorities — despite dozens of House Democrats remaining out of state.

But it wasn’t without its own political drama. Early in the day, nine of the Senate’s Democrats walked out to protest the same GOP-based plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts that prompted the House quorum break earlier this month.

The Democratic lawmakers were unable to block the passage of the new maps in the Senate, which passed Tuesday with Republican support. But the redistricting effort will still remain stalled for as long as House Democrats keep up their quorum break.

As the Senate began to take up the bill, Democratic Sen. Jose Menéndez of San Antonio asked the chamber to instead firs

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