After Democrats returned to the Texas statehouse, Republican leadership assigned law enforcement officers to monitor them to prevent further delays to their plan to redraw congressional voting districts to favor Republicans ahead of the election.

A Democratic state lawmaker who fled Texas in protest of a GOP redistricting effort is asking a court to let her exit the Capitol, after she was told she needs a police escort to leave the building.

The Texas State Capitol was cleared of visitors Tuesday evening and closed to the public after a social media threat, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

“Way to go Rep Collier!” Rep. Marc Veasey, a Fort Worth Democrat, said in a post on X. “Don’t sign the slip! This is why we need to keep Voting Rights Act! Making someone sign a permission slip is way too antebellum!!! This is ridiculous! And, it’s so natural for them (GOP) to behave this way! It’s systemic in their every day actions!”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday threw her support behind Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, who has spent two nights effectively trapped inside the state Capitol after refusing Republican demands that she agree to 24-hour police surveillance.

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer says for “most Americans” Vice President Kamala Harris is a “blank slate”.

Collier is among the Texas House Democrats who broke quorum to block mid-decade congressional redistricting. She and at least 51 other lawmakers left the Capitol to block a map that opponents say would disenfranchise voters and position Republicans to gain five seats in Congress.