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US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay , a powerful figure in Texas politics, advocated arresting the Texas Eleven, telling Reporter s that he supported using FBI Agents or U.S. Marshals to Arrest the Runaway Democrats and bring them back to Austin , asserting that Redistricting is a matter of Federal concern. The Texas Constitution calls for the 32-member Texas Senate — 31 Senators and the Lt. Governor — to have a quorum of two-thirds of its members present in order to conduct a vote, which means that the absence of 11 members can prevent the Senate from voting. Eleven Democrats left the state to avoid forced return to the Senate by Texas Rangers , going to New Mexico and out of reach of Texas’ authorities. After successfully preventing a quorum for an entire 30-day special session of the legislature, Senator John Whitmire left New Mexico and returned to Texas. The remaining ten Senate Democrats (often referred to as the “Texas Eleven Minus One” following Whitmire's departure), stayed in Albuquerque for several more days, but returned to Austin and the Texas Senate after Whitmire's presence on the Senate floor created the quorum needed for the Senate to meet. The "Texas Eleven" senators are:
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