On Monday, Texas Democrats fled the state en masse in an attempt to freeze several dangerous GOP bills. One of those legislators was ErinForYall, who as the mother of a 3-year-old faced a difficult choice: Do I flee the state with or without my child?
, tackling wedge issues like voting rights, trans rights, medication abortion and border security, and shirking issues like the state’s crumbling electrical grid.on House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1—extreme pieces of election legislation that would ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options and further restrict the state’s vote-by-mail rules—both House and Senate committees voted to advance the election bills, rejecting every amendment offered by Democrats.
Being a mother in the public eye is a strong part of Zwiener’s identity: Elected in 2018, she unseated former incumbent Republican Jason Isaaccampaigned while pregnant, then gave birth while in office. Ultimately, on Monday, Zwiener opted to bring Lark with her while she makes history and flees the state. . to discuss how these drastic measures relate to Texas Democrats’ overall strategy, and how their quick exit affected her as a wife, parent and legislator.
I joined with other members in what we call ‘frontline districts’—meaning we must defend our seats intensely in the general election—as well as leaders of our caucus. It was our job to decide both if we should go and if we were to go, when, and then to try and work out some of the logistics of where and how. It unfolded fairly quickly.
But we were very concerned that Republican leadership in the House might structure things so that we wouldn’t have an opportunity to leave, and that’s part of our calculation to leave before Tuesday. [At this point in the interview, her daughter Lark in the background calls for her mom and Zwiener patiently soothes her.]: Let’s talk about Lark for a little bit. It’s kind of like the elephant in the room—you traveling with your 3-year-old, it’s just incredible.
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