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.
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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 almost a familiar welcome as he delivered a rare politician-led sermon to the congregation at the historic Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side, once the home church for Barack Obama.
Considered a rising political star even before he joined his fellow Democrats in the quorum-breaking walkout, Talarico spoke to hundreds of congregants in both religious and political terms, something the lawmaker and seminary student doesn’t shy from doing.
“‘On Earth as it is in heaven’ is a political statement. Not a partisan statement, but a political statement,” Talarico said Sunday. “Can we imagine poverty in heaven? Can we imagine bigotry in heaven? Can we imagine war in heaven?”
“Then why do we tolerate these things on Earth?” he said to applause.
Though the 36-year-old Talarico’s next move in politics remains uncertain, he’s been discussed as a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican John Cornyn.
Cornyn is facing a GOP primary battle of his own versus Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a race that has also drawn national attention amid the quorum walkout story. Each man has tried to appear tougher than the other in challenging the House Democrats, with Cornyn requesting the FBI get involved to find the lawmakers in Illinois and Paxton filing a petition in Illinois to compel law enforcement to have the lawmakers arrested. Neither effort has worked.
Even California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to position himself as a foil to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican rival. And in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker — who, along with Newsom, is considering a Democratic presidential run in 2028 — and other top Democratic leaders have played host and defenders to the Texas Democrats, who have faced threats of violence and detention.
Speaking to the Tribune after the service, Talarico readily acknowledged the spotlight and said the quorum break had “galvanized the country.”
“I think it’s great, because so much of our politics and our media is nationalized now, but really, state lawmakers are the ones who have more of an impact on your day-to-day life than people in Washington,” the Austin lawmaker said. “I love that people are starting to take an interest in what’s happening at the state level.”
It wasn’t the only Texas-Illinois crossover of the weekend as the Texas Democrats on Saturday joined hundreds of people in downtown Chicago to march against Texas’ redistricting efforts.
But Talarico in particular has captured the attention of the national media, including his verbal jousts while appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast and generating 1.2 million followers each on Instagram and TikTok, both of which have featured clips of him using his knowledge of religion and politics to confront conservative religious standard-bearers.
The quorum break has provided a lengthy news cycle for even greater name recognition, though it may be winding down soon.
Texas Democrats last week said they intended to go home once the special session they walked out on ended — which it did on Friday — and California Democrats introduced their own map to counterbalance the Texas effort by trying to flip five U.S. House seats Democratic, The Associated Press reported.
Pritzker, for his part, hasn’t taken the possibility of redistricting Illinois’ map off the table, though it’s unclear what gains could be made by changing a map that already heavily favors Democrats.
The Texas delegation told Pritzker they “didn’t want” the billionaire governor’s financial support, as they were receiving sufficient grassroots funding, Talarico said. Pritzker previously told reporters he hadn’t funded the lawmakers but that he was open to the possibility.
Talarico on Sunday said he and his delegation may wait for the California state legislature to pass its proposed maps before leaving Illinois, which would put their departure around the end of this week. No matter when they leave, he said the delegation is looking to depart all at once.
Once they do return, it’s likely the GOP majority in the Texas House and Senate will push through a congressional remap, but the Texas Democrats in Illinois have already laid the rhetorical groundwork
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for declaring victory by pointing to the national attention they’ve generated about the issue and the proposed moves in California.On Sunday at Trinity, Talarico didn’t address the church’s history, which has at times intersected with politics.
Before he was elected president, Obama worshiped at Trinity, but he eventually left over sermons by its former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright. Obama at the time said that he didn’t want his “church experience to be a political circus,” according to Politico.
Having a politician deliver a sermon at Trinity is rare, church leaders said, and came about as Talarico pursues a master’s degree in divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
“Every single person is holy. Every single person counts,” Talarico told the congregation. “This American experiment started with that same self-evident truth that all people are created equal. This American democracy is more than just a constitution; it’s a covenant. … Some of the most powerful people in this nation are breaking that promise as we speak, with every gerrymandered district, with every suppressed vote.”
Asked after the service about the opportunity to be on the road and meet people in other states, Talarico answered: “That’s the best part.”