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Texas House Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., in July to avoid voting on an election reform bill filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and other Republican leaders on Friday, alleging the governor’s threat to arrest them upon their return to the Lone Star State is causing them “anxiety,” “distress,” and “embarrassment.”

Two of the dozens of Texas Democratic state legislators that fled to Washington, DC last month are currently on vacation in Portugal, the Texas Tribune reported. Reps. Julie Johnson and Jessica Gonzáles and their wives planned the trip a year and half in advance and had non-refundable tickets, according to Texas Monthly reporter Jonathan Tilove.... ...The news of the legislators' absence broke as more than 100 state legislators from around the country fly in for a "week of action" to promote the "For the People" Act, a sweeping voting rights bill that is currently stalled in the Senate....

Democrats will no longer release a daily count of the number of coronavirus cases among the Democrat Texas state lawmakers who last week shirked their legislative duties and fled to Washington, DC, to avoid acting on voting laws, a spokeswoman for the Texas House Democrats said Monday. The delegation will no longer offer daily transparency in regard to the number of Texas House Democrats who have tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus, according to Texas House Democrats spokeswoman Cara Santucci.

After fleeing their state on a private jet — unmasked and equipped with at least one case of beer — to avoid voting on an election integrity bill that would otherwise easily pass the state’s Republican majority, three fully vaccinated Texas Democratic lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19. Because of course they have. Here’s the backstory, ICYMI: On Monday, the majority of the Texas state House Democrats and a few state Senators flew off — in a private jet — to Washington D.C., to deprive the House of a quorum and forestall a vote on a Republican election integrity bill....

For the second day in a row, most Republicans in the Oregon Senate did not show up for a scheduled floor session on Wednesday. The action means that Democrats, who hold the majority in the chamber, cannot proceed with legislative business. At least two Republicans need to be on the floor in order for a quorum to be present.

Recall supporters have turned their attention from character assassination to cannibalism. With recent poll numbers suggesting they’ll lose their 15-month campaign to take down Gov. Scott Walker, the recallistas have begun to eat their own. When the blaming and hating is done — when the smoke clears and the sun dawns June 6 — Walker likely will be the last man standing. In Wisconsin, the blaming began last week when liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent posted what he called an exclusive on the recall race. An “unnamed top Wisconsin Democrat” was “furious” the Democratic National Committee would not pony...

Iowa House Democrats left the Capitol in protest Wednesday, saying they were betrayed by the Republican majority that decided this morning to debate controversial gun rights legislation. “We’ve been doubled-crossed,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, just before he lead his 40-member caucus out of the Statehouse. Democrats had been led to believe a constitutional amendment spelling out Iowans’ right to bear arms and the so-called “Castle Doctrine” giving Iowans the right to defend themselves would not be debated Feb. 29, McCarthy said. However, he was told after both parties went into their routine closed-door meetings to discuss...

With Republican-controlled Indiana on the verge of becoming a "right to work" state, Democrats in the state House on Tuesday took the only step they have left to prevent it, if only for a bit longer. They disappeared. Again. A final vote on the measure, which would bar union contracts from requiring nonunion members to pay fees for representation, had been expected Tuesday in the House, which Republicans dominate, 60-40. But with scores of union members and supporters filling the Statehouse halls in Indianapolis in protest, most Democrats refused to turn up for floor sessions -- not once, but twice...

The district attorney who filed a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's law passed this year effectively ending collective bargaining rights for most public workers said Thursday he is considering asking the state Supreme Court to rehear the case. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne told the Associated Press he was looking at making the request after learning that Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman had received free legal services from a firm that defended the law in that case decided in June. Gableman was part of a four-justice majority that upheld the law, which generated massive opposition protests and made Wisconsin the center...

The protests in New York City's lower Manhattan, popularly known as "Occupy Wall Street," are increasing in both participation from various concerned parties and attention in mainstream media. This survey will help identify the opinions of visitors to AboveTopSecret.com regarding the issues which have inspired the protests, as well the expected effectiveness and outcome. This first page of the survey will gauge your overall perception of the protests and movement, which the next page will gauge your ideas on specific goals of the protests.

Wis. Democrats hope to hold ground in 2 recallsBy The Associated Press • Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Wisconsin Democrats sought Tuesday to hold the ground they gained in last week's recall elections by fending off Republican attempts to oust two senators who fled the state in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal curbing public employee collective bargaining rights. Democrats needed to win at least three of six recalls last week targeting Republicans, but they only captured two. That means the best they can manage from Tuesday's elections is to keep the ground they gained, which left the Senate in Republican...

Kim Simac of Eagle River Wisconsin is running against one of the Democrats who fled the state to keep Wisconsin in the red and avoid the budget bill. http://www.kimsimacforstatesenate.com/ Jonathan Steitz of Kenosha, Wisconsin is running agains the other Democrat who is up for recall. http://www.steitzforsenate.com/ Today is the election. The polls are probably open. Please vote if you can!

Wisconsin's historic recall elections wrap up this weekBy James B. Kelleher Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:34pm EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wisconsin's series of recall elections concludes on Tuesday when voters go to the polls in two state Senate districts where Democrats are being forced to defend their seats. **SNIP** Nevertheless, Tuesday's two final votes, like the seven before them, will be watched closely. Two Democrats who opposed Walker's anti-union bill and even fled the state for weeks in an unsuccessful effort to prevent a quorum and delay passage -- Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie --...

Final two recall elections could lead to state’s first tea party senatorJESSICA VANEGEREN | The Capital Times Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2011 8:15 am Wednesday morning, just hours after state Republicans learned they had retained control of the state Senate by defeating four of the six Democratic challengers in the state’s historic recall elections, a flurry of activity began in the two remaining Senate districts up for grabs on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the fourth and final recall election day. The seats, held by Democratic incumbents Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie, are the last of the...

Yesterday Wisconsin State Republicans faced recall elections. Their crime in the twisted minds of democrats? These republicans voted to balance the WI state budget. As you all know, 14 democrat state senators fled our state to avoid taking the vote on that budget bill. Last night we learned that the recall elections from Tuesday August 9th, resulted in 2 of the 6 republicans being taken out of office. The count before the election was 19 repubicans to 14 democrats in the state senate. After yesterday's elections we now have 17 republicans against 16 democrats.

When Robert E. Lee was forced to turn back and retreat from Pennsylvania ending his dream of winning the Civil War by invading the North it quickly became clear that he had thrown his best punch and failed. Lee almost won but didn’t. While the Confederates won some major battles after Gettysburg their will to fight and the appetite for loaning them money was gone. Yesterday the Wisconsin Democrats brought their invasion to Republican held State Senate districts. To turn back the tide of conservatism in Wisconsin the Democrats instigated recall elections of six Republican Senators. They almost won enough...

The death of collective bargaining saved the state overnight.Over the past six months, Wisconsin has been nothing short of a miracle. Newly elected Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans in the majority in Madison got just about everything they wanted during the past legislative session, and a state facing a projected $3 billion budget shortfall with no end in sight now has a projected $300 million budget surplus. The amazing successes in Wisconsin have emboldened the legislatures and political leaders of other states, who have seen the wonders resulting from a little political backbone and fiscal common sense. After being...

By Daniel Woodruff, Anchor, Multimedia Journalist MADISON (WAOW) -- A conservative Wisconsin think tank is raising a red flag about the state's Democratic senators' stay in Illinois—specifically, about who paid for it. Fourteen senators fled to Illinois in February for several weeks to stall Gov. Scott Walker's agenda. They stayed there for more than three weeks. Throughout the process, the senators repeatedly said they were paying for the trip there. But now, the conservative MacIver Institute in Madison has posted a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh3zehbESI&feature=player_embedded) containing a clip that the Institute says contradicts those claims. The video's announcer prefaces the clip by...

MADISON - Two unions representing about 2,700 public workers in Madison and Dane County have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin's new law restricting collective bargaining rights. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, is the second federal challenge to the law that was pushed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker and passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature earlier this year. The other challenge, filed last month by a broad coalition of unions, is pending. The law prohibits collective bargaining except over base salary increases no greater than inflation. It took effect June 29 after the state Supreme...

Madison-- A Wisconsin judge is set to hear more arguments on whether signatures on recall petitions against nine state senators were gathered improperly. Six Republican senators and three Democratic senators face recalls over their positions on Gov. Scott Walker's contentious collective bargaining law. But both sides argue the recall petitions against them are invalid. The Republicans maintain signature gatherers didn't properly submit their initial paperwork. The Democrats contend there was widespread fraud in signature collection against them. The first round of primaries for the Republicans' challengers is set for Tuesday. Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess is set to hear...