Trump urged GOP-led states to redraw US House districts. Now other states also are gerrymandering

President Donald Trump's call for Republicans to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of next year's election has triggered an unusual outbreak of mid-decade gerrymandering among both Republican- and Democratic-led states.

Democrats need to gain just three seats to wrest control of the House away from Republicans. And Trump hopes redistricting can help stave off historical trends, in which the president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections.

Here's what states are doing:

Texas — The first state to take up congressional redistricting at Trump's prodding. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new U.S. House map into law on Aug. 29 that could help Republicans win five additional seats. Republican currently hold 25 of the 38 seats. On Nov. 18, a federal court blocked the new map from being used, citing evidence that it was "racially gerrymandered.” Abbott vowed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

California — The first Democratic-led state to counter Trump's redistricting push. A new U.S. House map approved Nov. 4 by voters circumvents districts adopted by an independent citizens commission after the 2020 census and replaces them with districts that could help Democrats win five additional seats. Democrats currently hold 43 of the 52 seats. The U.S. Department of Justice has joined a Republican lawsuit challenging the new districts.

Missouri — The second Republican-led state to approve new House districts sought by Trump. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a new map into law Sept. 28 that could help Republicans win an additional seat by reshaping a Democratic-held district in Kansas City. Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight seats. Opponents are gathering signatures for a petition that could force a statewide referendum on the map and have filed several lawsuits.

North Carolina — The third Republican-led state to approve new House districts sought by Trump. The Republican-led General Assembly gave final approval Oct. 22 to changes that could help Republicans win an additional seat by reshaping a Democratic-held district in eastern North Carolina. No gubernatorial approval is needed. Republicans currently hold 10 of the 14 seats. The revised map faces a legal challenge.

Ohio — A panel of elected officials who are primarily Republicans voted Oct. 31 to approve new U.S. House districts that could boost the GOP's chances of winning two already competitive seats. Republicans currently hold 10 of the 15 seats. Redistricting was required by the state constitution because the previous map was enacted without bipartisan support.

Utah — A judge imposed new U.S. House districts on Nov. 11 that could allow Democrats to win a seat centered in the Salt Lake County. The judge rejected a revised map that had been approved Oct. 6 by the Republican-led Legislature in response to her original ruling invalidating districts adopted after the 2020 census because lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters. Republicans currently hold all four seats.

Louisiana — Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in October signed legislation to delay the state’s primary elections from April 18 to May 16. The change could give lawmakers extra time to redraw U.S. House districts in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the state’s current congressional map. Republicans currently hold four of the six seats.

Virginia — The Democratic-led General Assembly in October endorsed a proposed a constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting in response to similar efforts elsewhere. Democrats currently hold six of the 11 U.S. House districts under a map imposed by a court in 2021 after a bipartisan commission failed to agree on a plan. The amendment needs another round of legislative approval next year to be placed on the statewide ballot.

Maryland — Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has announced a commission on congressional redistricting, even though the Democratic Senate president has said his chamber won’t move forward with redistricting because of concerns the effort to gain another Democratic seat could backfire. Democrats currently hold seven of the eight seats.

Colorado — Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, a gubernatorial candidate, has expressed support for a constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting. The measure would need to go on a statewide ballot. Democrats and Republicans each currently hold four seats.

Florida — Republican state House Speaker Daniel Perez has created a special committee on congressional redistricting. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 seats.

Illinois — U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have urged state lawmakers to redraw Illinois’ districts. Democrats currently hold 14 of the 17 seats.

Indiana — Trump and Vice President JD Vance have urged Republican lawmakers to redraw congressional districts. But lawmakers declined to convene a special session on redistricting that Republican Gov. Mike Braun had called in November. State senators voted not to reconvene until January. Republicans currently hold seven of the nine seats.

Kansas — Republican lawmakers dropped a petition drive to call themselves into a special session on congressional redistricting in November. But they still could redraw districts during the next regular session that begins in January. Republicans currently hold three of the four seats.

New York — Democratic state lawmakers have filed a proposed constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting. The measure would need to be approved by the Legislature in two separate sessions, then placed on the statewide ballot. Democrats currently hold 19 of the 26 seats.

Nebraska — Republican Gov. Jim Pillen has expressed support for mid-decade redistricting. Republicans already hold all three House seats but could try to shore up a competitive district that includes Omaha.

Demonstrators hold signs during a rally protesting a proposed election redistricting map Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

FILE - Opponents of California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, a California ballot measure that would redraw congressional maps to benefit Democrats hold a rally in Westminster, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

North Carolina state Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke (left and standing), presides over the Senate Committee on Elections while it considers legislation to redraw the state's U.S. House district map at the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh N.C., Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)