“If you are going to be out more than two weeks call your spouse for conjugal visits,” explained Texas Democrat Leticia Van de Putte, who, back in 2003, was one of 11 state senators who fled to New Mexico in order to stall Republican redistricting plans. “After two weeks — and most of my colleagues are men — I said get their wives here and quick because you are under intense stress.”…

“It is a nightmare,” said Harold Cook, the man who staffed Senate Democrats when they fled to Albuquerque on their quorum break. “First off you are going to a place you are not familiar with, and you will be around people you don’t know, and you will be going to try and get out your message to your constituents through a reporter you may never have met. You are going to be short on staff because they are going to be back in the capital … It was just about the toughest thing I did professionally and I think a lot of the senators would say it was the toughest thing they did in their legislative careers.”