Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Newsmax on Tuesday he is flabbergasted that Democrats serving in the state House of Representatives have fled to Democrat-friendly states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York to thwart the Texas Legislature’s attempts at redrawing its congressional map.

Abbott, a Republican, on Monday called for those Democrats to be tracked down and arrested, and the state House overwhelmingly voted to do the same. On Tuesday, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is prepared to seek a court ruling to label those Democrats absent and declare their seats vacant.

“It’s outrageous,” Abbott told “The Chris Salcedo Show.” “They flee to states like Illinois, and candidly, these Democrats fit right in in Illinois and New York a whole lot better than they fit into the state of Texas.

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