(RNS) — Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a seminarian who has joined dozens of other Democratic state legislators in leaving his state to oppose mid-decade redistricting efforts, said he views their protests as an act of faith, reflecting both his personal beliefs and his faith in democracy.
Talarico, who is a student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas, discussed the protest in a webinar Tuesday (Aug. 5) co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and Interfaith Alliance.
“Democracy is a lot more than just a constitution; it’s a covenant,” he said in speaking against the redistricting plan, which Republicans are pursuing in hopes of helping their party retain control of the U.S. House in the midterms.
“Donald Trump and (Texas Governor) Greg Abbott and my Republican colleagues back in Texas are attempting to break that sacred promise with every suppressed vote, with every gerrymandered district.”
Talarico spoke to the webinar, which was planned before the protest began, from a nondescript conference room in an Illinois hotel and did not share his exact location due to what he called “security concerns.”
The state representative told Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, a senior fellow of the fund and a vice president of the alliance, that he was asked to lead his colleagues in an int …