“They are brave, they are bold, they are courageous,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) about the Texas lawmakers that left their state legislature to avoid voting on bills that would limit voting rights. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called the runaway lawmakers “defenders of the Constitution,” while Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) hailed them as “freedom fighters.”