Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado is using a catheter to urinate into a urine bag, which will be hidden by a long dress she plans to wear. She also received an IV infusion to hydrate herself before the marathon filibuster attempt.
Texas Republicans are trying to pass their redistricting plan after the state’s Democrats recently returned from their mass exodus to deny their opposition a quorum. The state’s Senate Democrats are the Democratic Party’s last line of defense, outside of legal challenges, to the new map.
Alvarado, 57, is the minority leader of the Texas Senate and has served in the state’s upper chamber since 2018. Before that, she served nine years in the Texas House and several years as a city councilwoman for Houston.
Alvarado says she’s been preparing to filibuster “for a few days.” She last attempted a filibuster in 2021, which lasted 15 hours and 7 minutes, the longest in the state’s modern Senate history.
But this one could be even longer, with Alvarado saying she will try to filibuster “as long as I can stand.”
Alvarado noted that while her chances of a successful filibuster are slim, she believes it will still have a positive effect.
“It demonstrates how tough Texas Democrats are: the determination to push back. We can’t kill this. But we’re not going down without a fight,” she said.
Texas Republicans rejected that characterization, casting Alvarado’s filibuster as an attempt to further her political career.
“She can definitely use the process, but she cannot filibuster long enough to hold this bill back,” Republican Rep. Mitch Little said.
Alvarado initially kept her filibuster plans secret from Republicans before notifying them on Friday. The stakes are high in this situation: If she fails to block the bill, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) will sign the map into law.
The new maps are set to grant Republicans in the state five congressional seats. California Democrats are already fighting the effort by holding a special election in their state to ask voters for permission to draw a congressional map favoring Democrats.
Other measures Alvarado has already taken include removing the plastic mat under her seat to make standing more comfortable, and loading up on protein with a heavy meal before her attempt. Once she begins her filibuster, she’ll be unable to eat, drink, or leave to use the bathroom. If Alvarado breaks the rules three times, her filibuster ends.
She could aim to beat Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) U.S. Senate record of 25 hours and 5 minutes. The attempt left Booker dehydrated and scrambling for the bathroom by the end.
Alvarado posted a picture of her shoes on the new congressional map as she began her filibuster.
DOGGETT SAYS HE’LL FORGO REELECTION BID FOR TEXAS HOUSE SEAT IF NEW MAP ENACTED
“Republicans think they can walk all over us. Today I’m going to kick back. I’ve submitted my intention to filibuster the new congressional maps,” Alvarado posted on X.
“Going to be a long night,” she added.
