A sixth member of the fugitive Texas Democrats in Washington, D.C., has contracted COVID-19, the afflicted lawmaker revealed Tuesday.
State Rep. Donna Howard tested positive on Monday, becoming the sixth member of the Texas House Democratic Caucus to have contracted the disease since the group traveled to the nation’s capital to stonewall voting legislation from passing the state Legislature.
“Despite following [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines and being fully vaccinated, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday,” she wrote on Facebook Tuesday, adding she was “basically asymptomatic except for some minor congestion.”
TWO MORE TEXAS DEMOCRATS DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19
After tweeting about the efficacy of vaccines on Sunday, Howard said Tuesday she is “grateful that the vaccine has been shown to be up to 96% effective in preventing serious illness as [she is] basically asymptomatic except for some minor congestion.”
“Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and feeling well. … Vaccines work. Everyone, please get vaccinated and protect yourselves,” she wrote, noting that she will isolate and continue work virtually in compliance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Following reports of three cases among the members Saturday, precautionary testing on Sunday revealed two additional members, both fully vaccinated, had contracted the disease, according to a press release from the Texas House Democratic Caucus.
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Chris Turner said the caucus is “following all [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance and protocols.”
On Monday, at least 51 state lawmakers traveled to Washington, D.C., to block the passage of the state’s S.B. 1 and H.B. 3, a pair of bills that would ban drive-thru voting, implement more comprehensive voter identification requirements for mail-in ballots, and prohibit officials from sending voting applications to those who did not request them.
They also lobbied Congress in support of the For the People Act, an election overhaul supported by congressional Democrats, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
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Under the Texas Constitution, two-thirds of lawmakers must be present to conduct business, and those who evade the task may be legally required to return. Republicans have vowed to penalize the fugitive lawmakers, with Gov. Greg Abbott saying they will be arrested upon returning to the state.
State lawmakers in Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Oregon have employed the tactic of fleeing a state to deny congressional bodies of quorums. Few of these walkouts achieved the desired results.
