Residence has not changed because of a trip. They still own their home, pay the bills and get their mail, have their driver license showing that address.
Wishing will not make it different.
Nonsense. In fact, in certain circumstances, one can have multiple residences - or, to be more precise, places of residence. For example, if one state defines residency based on domicile, and another state defines residence based on a certain minimum number of days of presence within the state - typically, states that do this use 183 days or more - a person who has their domicile in the first state, but spends 200 days in the second state will have two residences - will be resident in both states.
Similarly, a person who leaves a particular state, takes up physical residence in another state, and evinces an intention to remain out of the first state indefinitely will sometimes be treated as having abandoned domicile in the first state and, depending on the state's definition of "residence" of having given up their residence in that state.
Clearly there is a dearth of binding legal authority on what "residence" means for the purposes of this section, as well as what it means to "remove" one's residence from the district or county to which one was elected, and so there will necessarily be a legal court case if Gov. Abbott decides to pursue that route.
But a lack of finely granulated authority does not mean that the terms are meaningless, and does not mean that what the fleebaggers have done does not constitute "removing" their "residence" for the purposes of Sec. 23.
In fact, if one looks at the purpose and intent of Sec. 23, I am going to guess that it is closely connected with ensuring that the incumbent in office continues to undertake his role as an elected official properly, and that intentionally leaving the state so that one cannot be corralled into doing one's duty as a legislature, if maintained for a sufficient period of time, constitutes "removing" one's residence.
There is most definitely a basis for that argument, and I would strongly urge Gov. Abbott to consider it.