AUSTIN - Texas lawmakers who hightailed it to the nation's capital in a faceoff over voting rights said Tuesday that they're pressing on with their mission to get Democrats in Washington, D.C., to bolster their cause, even as COVID-19 spreads through their ranks.
Six of the more than 50 Texas state representatives who decamped to Washington last week have since tested positive for the coronavirus, along with two Washington staffers associated with the group.
During a news conference Tuesday, the Texas Democrats said they remain optimistic about their cause, even after their Monday night town hall on MSNBC was scaled back because of the positive test results.
"I do believe we are being very innovative and we are rising to respond to these challenges," Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds said.
State Rep. Donna Howard confirmed Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19. She said in a statement that she is fully vaccinated and "basically asymptomatic," but that she is isolating to limit the spread of the virus.
One of the two Washington staffers who tested positive works in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Drew Hammill, a Pelosi spokesman, confirmed that a "fully vaccinated senior spokesperson in the Speaker's Press Office tested positive for COVID after contact with members of the Texas state legislature last week."
Hammill said the employee has had no contact with Pelosi since exposure and that much of Pelosi's press staff was working remotely Tuesday, with the exception of those not exposed or who have recently tested negative.