Texas Rep. Salman Bhojani Endures Threats, Fines After Quorum Break

For state Rep. Salman Bhojani, the first Muslim elected to the Texas Legislature, the fines he faces for breaking quorum with fellow Democrats last year pale in comparison to the threats that forced his family from their home.

They endured online harassment that included hate speech and threats so severe they had to leave. It was almost enough to drive Bhojani out of politics, he said.

The key word is "almost." After returning to Texas, where the Legislature approved the Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan that prompted the quorum break, Bhojani said he felt duty-bound to continue in public service. He is seeking a third term representing his North Texas district in November.

"If I'm not going to do it, I don't know who else will do it the way I want to do it and represent my community," he said in an interview Friday alongside his wife, Nima. "Hopefully (the hate speech is) behind us. There is a lot of momentum to change things."

The interview, conducted by phone from his suburban home near Fort Worth, came as the House Administration Committee deliberated behind closed doors on how to impose fines totaling $8,354 for Democrats’ unauthorized absence during an August special session.

Bhojani left Texas before most members of the House Democratic Caucus boarded a chartered jet to Chicago, denying the chamber a quorum to act on a redistricting plan that aimed to add five Republican-leaning seats. He had traveled to Pakistan, the country where he was born, to be with an aunt he described as a second mother as she faced an illness that would claim her life.

Family emergencies, such as illness or death, are typically grounds for an excused absence, but online critics questioned his account. Bhojani released passport and travel records to rebut the claims. Meanwhile, Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French escalated the rhetoric.

"I am officially calling on (U.S. Border Czar) @RealTomHoman to denaturalize and deport Pakistan born, anti-American democrat, #txlege quorum breaking, @realDonaldTrump's agenda hating, redistricting blocking @SalmanBhojaniTX," French, who is a runoff for the GOP nomination for railroad commissioner, wrote in a since-deleted post.

When Bhojani returned to the U.S., where he is a naturalized citizen, he joined fellow House Democrats in Illinois. While he was away, his wife said, their teenage children were followed and their photos were published online without the family's consent.

"At one point, I left my home and came to my in-laws' home," she said. "I could not feel safe to live in our home by myself with the kids. And even there, I felt like people were still harassing. There would be knocks on the door, or they would go through our trash."

Bhojani said he hired around-the-clock security for his family. The threats felt especially urgent amid recent political violence, including the June 2025 shooting deaths of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and former state House speaker, and her husband Mark. Both were attacked at their home. The same morning, Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their home. Both survived despite suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

"That incident had just happened a few months before, and I kept thinking of that," Bhojani said.

Authorities have arrested Vance Luther Boelter for those attacks. He has pleaded not guilty and allegedly kept a list of other Democratic targets, including Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to reports.

Bhojani said he cannot allow violence, or even the threat of it, to dissuade him from continuing in office.

"That's the price that we pay for democracy," he said. "It's worth fighting for, and our fight continues."