After Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison (D-15th) heard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott order the arrest of Democratic members of the Texas legislature who fled to Illinois to halt a vote on redrawing Texas congressional districts to create more Republican seats, he said he reached a breaking point. 

Texas Democrats returned to the Lone Star State from O’Hare Airport on Monday after two weeks in Illinois. By fleeing, they ensured that the Texas state legislature would fail to have a quorum and would therefore be unable to hold meetings to conduct state business. The case regarding Texas redistricting is now in the courts.

“These heroes left their state, their families, and their routines behind to protect our republic from a power-hungry president, afraid that his disastrous policies are going to lose him his party’s House majority,” Morrison said. “Illinois has always opened its doors to those who need a safe haven, and as an Italian-American, I’m proud that my family’s restaurant could be a welcoming place for them to share a meal.”

Morrison hosted Texas Democrats at his family’s restaurant on Chicago’s Northwest side, Dino’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant, on Friday. He also sent fundraising appeals to his followers on behalf of Texas Democrats and Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones (D-147th), who is running for Congress.

Local Illinois Democrats joining Texas Democrats at Dino’s included State Sen. Rob Martwick (D-10th), State Rep. Nicolle Grasse (D-53rd), State Rep. Mary Beth Canty (D-54th). State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-14th), State Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-30th), Sen. Mary Edly-Allen (D-31st), State Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-50th), and State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-43rd). 

Morrison is running for 8th Congressional District of Illinois, as U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8th) runs to replace retiring Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate. Jones, a Democrat from Houston, is running for the 18th Congressional District in Texas.

“First and foremost, I took this action when the governor (Abbott) called for the arrest of an entire (Democratic) party,” Morrison told the Journal & Topics. He called Abbott’s actions “autocratic” and that the Texas governor was doing the bidding of President Donald Trump. 

In recent weeks, Morrison said he organized both joint fundraising with the Texas Democratic Party and specifically with Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones.

Both Morrison and Jones are openly LGBTQ+ community members and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorses them.

Morrison said that in recent weeks, he first ran a joint fundraising campaign with the Democratic Party of Texas, before launching a joint fundraising effort with Jones last week. A local Morrison supporter said she received a fundraising appeal directly from Jones mentioning the partnership.

A reader of history books, particularly those on the Roman Empire, Morrison compared the current political situation to ancient Rome’s fall from democracy into autocracy. “I see major red flags when I see Gov. Abbott bend to the will of Trump and call for an entire party to be arrested,” he said. “These are trying times for the Constitution.”

Media reports said bomb threats were made to a suburban hotel where the Texas lawmakers were staying on Wednesday, Aug. 6 and Friday, Aug. 8.  

Commissioner Morrison’s district includes portions of Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Arlington Heights, Palatine, and Rolling Meadows in the Journal coverage area. It also includes portions of Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Bartlett, Elgin, Barrington, South Barrington, and Barrington Hills in far northwest Cook.

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