Austin, Texas, May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Texas Democratic lawmakers, who bolted the Capitol for Ardmore, Oklahoma, four days ago, declared victory in stopping a plan to change Congressional boundaries to favor Republicans.

House Speaker Tom Craddick, a Republican, said today the proposal would not be brought back this year. The 53 fleeing Democrats halted legislative action by making it impossible to get 100 of the 150 House members needed for a quorum. Craddick sent state troopers to retrieve the legislators as allowed by state law. The Democrats were found at the Holiday Inn in Ardmore, 290 miles north of Austin.

``The battle is over. Speaker Craddick has done the right thing,'' said Democratic Party Chairwoman Molly Beth Malcolm in a prepared statement. ``I hope we are done with Congressional redistricting for the decade.''

Craddick in a press conference said the redistricting proposal and all other bills that will die in committee tonight would not be brought back. At least 230 bills will die, including one that would have freed up $350 million of new revenue for the state to apply to its $9.9 billion deficit through 2003.

``If the Democrats don't give up, then it's dead, and it won't be brought up after tonight,'' said Kate Huddleston, a spokeswoman for Craddick. ``Speaker Craddick won't suspend the rules to take up any bills that have died.''

At least 50 of the Democrats stayed in the 169-room Holiday Inn, with a bar called the Gusher, near a Denny's restaurant off Interstate 35. The Democrats held press conferences after they were found early Tuesday and withstood a tornado that passed nearby without causing damage at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

New Session

The Democrats said they would leave Friday to be back in time for a session that would begin after a deadline for passing bills out of committee passed at midnight Thursday. During their stay, they were commended by the Democrat-controlled Oklahoma Legislature and threatened by Texas Republicans who sent the state highway patrol and Texas Rangers to round up the lawmakers and bring them back to Austin.

The Democrats, who have a 17-15 majority in the U.S. House, opposed a plan to draw new legislative districts for the second time since the 2000 Census that would have cost them as many as five seats. The redistricting plan was backed by U.S. Representative Tom Delay, the House majority leader.

Last Updated: May 15, 2003 17:17 EDT