Texas House Democrats who fled the state to block a GOP-gerrymandered congressional map are staking their ground, signaling they won’t return unless Gov. Greg Abbott meets their conditions for the following special session—one he’s threatened to call as soon as Friday.

Despite earlier speculation that Democrats might return this weekend, Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu made clear on Wednesday that his colleagues are prepared to again deny the quorum needed to pass the GOP maps.

“What happens next is entirely up to Greg Abbott. After deliberation among our caucus, we have reached a consensus: Texas House Democrats refuse to give him a quorum to pass his racist maps that silence more than 2 million Black and Latino Texans,” Wu’s statement read. “Texas House Democrats will issue

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