Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has escalated his legal crusade against Democrat Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, filing a motion for contempt in a Tarrant County court to have him jailed for allegedly violating a judge’s order barring fundraising for statehouse Democrats who fled Texas to stall a Republican-led redistricting effort.

Paxton’s motion claims O’Rourke knowingly defied a temporary restraining order issued last week by Judge Megan Fahey, which prohibited O’Rourke and his organization, Powered by People, from raising funds to support the absent Democrats.

The penalty could include a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail.

"Beto told me ‘to come and take,’ so I did and beat him in court. Now, he still thinks he’s above the law, so I’m working to put him behind bars," Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

"Robert Francis flagrantly and knowingly violated the court order I secured that prevents him from raising funds and distributing any more Beto Bribes. He’s about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas. It’s time to lock him up," he continued.

O’Rourke, a former congressman and 2022 gubernatorial candidate, allegedly urged rally-goers in Fort Worth less than 24 hours after the court order to donate to his organization via text message to support the fugitive Democrats.

"He [Paxton] tried to stop us from holding this rally here today in Fort Worth, he tried to stop us from raising money to support these Democrats in the fight—he lost—and one of the worst things that we could do to Ken Paxton is to right now choose to donate, to have the backs of these fighters," O’Rourke said at the event.

He added, " [Paxton] is trying to stop us from raising the resources [the Democrat statehouse fugitives] need to ultimately prevail and come through and we are not going to let him stop us. Are you with me on that?"

O’Rourke also made a bold statement, saying, "There are no refs in this game, f*ck the rules, we are going to win whatever it takes,” which Paxton’s office cited as evidence of his defiance.

Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott and Paxton have launched a broader legal offensive against the 50 Democratic statehouse lawmakers, led by Rep. Gene Wu, who fled Texas to cities like Chicago, New York, and Boston to break quorum and block a GOP-proposed congressional map.

The map, which passed the Texas Senate 19-2 on Tuesday, would create five new Republican-leaning U.S. House districts, strengthening GOP control ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Abbott’s petition to the Texas Supreme Court accuses the Democrats of violating their "affirmative constitutional obligation" by obstructing legislative proceedings.

"Representative Wu has openly renounced these constitutional mandates by fleeing the State of Texas to break quorum, obstruct legislative proceedings, and paralyze the Texas House of Representatives," Abbott stated.

Paxton vowed to issue judicial orders last Friday, targeting Democrats who fail to return to the Texas House by the speaker’s deadline.

The state constitution requires two-thirds of House legislators to be present to conduct business, a rule the Democrats have exploited by leaving the state, beyond the reach of Texas authorities.

The redistricting plan, a rare mid-decade effort, has sparked national controversy, with Democrats accusing Republicans of gerrymandering to dilute the voting power of Texans of color.

"Under this new, even worse gerrymander, millions of Texans—targeting Texans of color—will have their voices silenced," said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. "Make no mistake, if Texas Republicans enact this discriminatory map, they will face swift, significant resistance from the people and in the courts."

Democrats have signaled retaliatory measures in blue states.

California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to dismantle his state’s independent redistricting commission if Texas proceeds, stating, "The proposal that we’re advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, hosting some of the Texas Democrats, declared, "We are at war. And that’s why the gloves are off—and I say, 'Bring it on.'"

Bruce Spiva, senior vice president of the Campaign Legal Center, warned of a "gerrymandering arms race," noting, "Never, in my knowledge, has a president ever explicitly called on a state to redistrict in the middle of the decade in order to maximize the advantage for his party."

Spiva advocated for national legislation to mandate independent redistricting commissions to curb partisan gerrymandering.

Democratic state Senator Juan Hinojosa, one of the few who remained in the Senate session, joined Senator Judith Zaffirini in voting against the map, with Democrats arguing, "We walked out because this session should be about flood relief, not politics. Texans deserve leaders who put people first."

The Texas House, stalled by the Democrats’ absence, must still pass the map before Abbott can sign it into law.

Legal challenges are expected if the map is enacted.