Texas Democrat Jolanda Jones stepped into a firestorm by likening Republican redistricting to the Holocaust, only to backpedal with an apology, as the New York Post reports. Her reckless rhetoric, aired on The Don Lemon Show, reveals the left’s penchant for over-the-top comparisons when cornered. Conservatives see this as another sign of progressive desperation in the face of fair electoral mapping.
Jones, 59, joined over 50 Texas House Democrats who fled the state to block a special legislative session on redistricting. The proposed maps could hand Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats in 2026. This mass exodus, a theatrical stunt, left the Texas House without a quorum, grinding legislative business to a halt.
On Tuesday, Jones appeared on Lemon's show and unleashed her inflammatory Holocaust analogy. "They don’t accept us," she declared, painting Republicans as oppressors plotting to "disenfranchise Black and Brown people." Such hyperbole collapses under scrutiny, as redistricting aims to reflect population shifts, not orchestrate genocide.
Many absent Democrats, including Jones, reportedly fled to Illinois and New York, dodging their legislative duties. Their absence prompted Texas House lawmakers to pass a motion on Monday authorizing arrest warrants for the runaways. This isn’t democracy in action -- it’s a tantrum disguised as principle.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, didn’t sit idly by. He ordered state law enforcement to arrest the absent Democrats and investigate potential legal violations tied to their refusal to participate. Abbott’s resolve underscores a commitment to governance over grandstanding, a contrast to the Democrats’ flighty tactics.
Sen. John Cornyn, also a Republican, escalated the response by requesting FBI assistance on Tuesday to track down Democrats crossing state lines. The left’s attempt to paralyze Texas’s legislative process has met a firm counter from leaders unwilling to let chaos prevail. Jones and her colleagues now face real consequences for their stunt.
Jones, clearly feeling the heat, issued an apology to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "I made a statement… comparing Trump’s attempt to disenfranchise Black and Brown people to the Holocaust," she admitted, calling it a "mistake." Her backtrack rings hollow when weighed against her initial fervor, suggesting damage control over genuine remorse.
"That was going too far," Jones continued, citing her emotional state as the culprit. Yet her original claim -- that Republicans’ redistricting mirrors Holocaust-era tactics—betrays a deeper issue: the left’s reliance on fearmongering to dodge substantive debate. Emotion doesn’t excuse equating policy disagreements with mass atrocities.
Jones’s words on the show dripped with alarmism: "We will lose all of our rights." This apocalyptic framing isn’t just misleading—it’s a deliberate attempt to inflame divisions. Redistricting, a routine process, doesn’t strip rights; it adjusts representation to match demographic realities.
Andrew Mahaleris, spokesman for Gov. Abbott, didn’t mince words, calling the Democrats’ actions a "desperate, anti-democratic stunt." His jab cuts to the core: fleeing elected duties undermines the very voters Democrats claim to champion. Texans deserve representatives who show up, not ones who stage dramatic exits.
Mahaleris added, "Unlike these radicals, Governor Abbott refuses to abandon Texans." The contrast is stark -- Republicans prioritize governance, while Democrats opt for theatrics. Jones’ apology can’t erase the fact that her party’s strategy hinges on obstruction over engagement.
The redistricting fight isn’t about disenfranchisement, as Jones claims, but about ensuring fair representation. Republicans argue the new maps reflect Texas’s growing population and shifting demographics. Democrats’ flight suggests they’d rather halt progress than debate the merits of the proposal.
Abbott’s move to remove absent Democrats from office signals a no-nonsense approach to their antics. Investigating potential legal violations further tightens the screws on lawmakers shirking their responsibilities. This isn’t authoritarianism -- it’s accountability for elected officials who think they’re above the law.
Jones’s Holocaust comparison, now retracted, exposes the left’s tendency to weaponize history for political points. "Good people remain silent," she said, implying Republicans enable catastrophic outcomes. Such rhetoric cheapens real atrocities and poisons discourse, a tactic conservatives reject as woke overreach.
Mahaleris summed it up: Democrats should "come back to the Texas Capitol and do the job voters elected them to do." Jones’ apology might soothe some critics, but it doesn’t undo the damage of her party’s runaway strategy. Texans deserve better than lawmakers who flee when the going gets tough.
