Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* After two weeks away, Democratic state House members in Texas are returning to Austin, ending a walkout that temporarily derailed a Republican mid-decade redistricting scheme.

Lawmakers are now framing their ability to prevent new maps from passing during one special legislative session as a victory. But Republicans are poised to call another.

Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier refused to come to the Texas state Capitol for two weeks. Now she won't leave, and fellow Democrats are joining her protest. Collier was among dozens of Democrats who left the state for the Democratic havens of California,

Texas Republicans forced Democrats to sign a slip authorizing a police officer to surveil them until Wednesday, when the House is scheduled to reconvene.

Several Texas state House Democrats ripped up the written agreements that allowed them to leave the chamber with a police escort and returned to the House floor Tuesday night, the caucus announced.

A trio of Texas Democrats slept overnight Monday in the statehouse instead of traveling home with a mandated law enforcement escort ordered by the Republican leadership.