Two Sundays ago, nearly three dozen Texas Democratic lawmakers touched down in Illinois with a sudden suburban news conference declaring they had fled their state and walked out of their legislature to stop Republicans from passing a new gerrymandered congressional map.

Because the remap seeking to flip five seats Republican had been ordered up by President Donald Trump to help ensure the GOP keeps power in the U.S. House for the final two years of his second term, the move by the Texas Democrats made a quick impact nationally.

But it’s also having a longer-term effect on the issue of gerrymandering, the importance of the 2026 midterms and the political future of politicians who have become key characters in the summer saga.

Among them is Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who received

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