Republicans in the Texas House forced returning Democrats to around-the-clock surveillance by state Department of Public Safety officers to leave the floor.

Democrats say these new recruits are uniquely suited to break through in districts where President Donald Trump’s popularity remains dominant.

State Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican, introduced the new map and was open about how the changes are meant to “increase Republican performance.”

Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier spent the night in the Austin statehouse and plans to stay there until Wednesday's session after refusing a police escort.

Texas House Democrat Nicole Collier spent the night at the state's Capitol, which she live streamed, after refusing to sign a pledge that she would return for a vote on redistricting. Her protest came after House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that the Texas Democrats would not be allowed to leave the chambers until they signed a document promising to show up the following morning and that they would be forced to have police escorts back and forth.

While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what’s called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed

Republican leaders said that if they can't reach a quorum again at 10 a.m., both the House and Senate will wrap up the special session.

But in some of the nation’s biggest Senate races, Democrats are relying on an old strategy of recruiting—and then clearing the field for—long-serving party leaders with whom voters are already familiar.