Texas Republicans are charting an extreme course -- and other states are following their lead

Texas Republicans are charting an alarming trend towards minority rule, and other states are following suit.

The Lone Star State's GOP, led by Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, have introduced the most extreme versions of voter suppression, open carry laws, anti-abortion bills and bans on anti-racism lessons, and The Daily Beast reported that many Democrats see those campaigns as a warning for what Republicans intend to do with legislative majorities.

“This is all for a national platform for when they go into the Republican primary,” said Ben Chou, a Democratic candidate for Harris County commissioner.

Chou believes both Abbott and Cruz are preparing 2024 presidential campaigns, and are introducing extreme policies to "one-up" their conservative competitors, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and GOP control of the state legislator prevented voters from stopping them.

“Gerrymandering exists and we’re screwed when it comes to the state legislature," Chou said. "We’re not going to win a majority there any time soon."

Those extremely gerrymandered districts allow Republicans to push through extreme legislation without pushback, and the new bills insulate them even further from voter backlash.

“The GOP essentially has never advocated for a fair and representative democracy,” said Jen Ramos, who serves on the State Democratic Executive Committee. “[They're] don't have repercussions anymore, so [they're] just going to run for it.”