A recount in an Indiana Senate GOP primary has flipped the race in favor of a Trump-backed challenger.
The Indiana Recount Commission on Monday determined that Paula Copenhaver was victorious against State Sen. Spencer Deery for District 23 in the Indiana State Senate after requesting a recount.
The tally changed from a three-vote advantage for Deery to a three-vote edge for Copenhaver.
“New certified totals from the May primary now give Copenhaver 6,332 votes to Deery’s 6,329,” Indiana Capital Chronicle stated.
🚨Just in: A recount in the Indiana State Senate race has found Trump-endorsed challenger Paula Copenhaver defeated State Sen. Spencer Deery by just 3 votes.
Deery, who opposed redistricting, had been leading by 3 votes before the recount.
A 6-vote swing determined the outcome. pic.twitter.com/avw0zgWkLD
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 10, 2026
More from Indiana Capital Chronicle:
The commission threw out eight votes for Deery and two for Copenhaver — all largely for technical reasons over missing signatures or initials from county election officials on absentee or provisional ballots.
The Deery-Copenhaver race is the last one undecided from the Republican primary in which Trump-endorsed challengers defeated six of the seven other incumbent senators targeted by the president in retaliation for their votes against redistricting.
That wave of victories contributed to Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray announcing recently that he would not seek another term as the Senate’s Republican leader.
James Blair, one of Trump’s top political advisers who was involved with the Indiana retribution campaign, reacted to a social media post about the recount with the comment: “Hahahaha.”
“After every legal vote was counted and the recount completed, we were declared the winner,” Copenhaver said.
“Now, it’s time for Republicans to unite, defeat the Democrats’ radical socialist agenda, deliver real property tax relief, and defend the commonsense conservative values Hoosiers believe in,” she added.
After every legal vote was counted and the recount completed, we were declared the winner.
Now, it’s time for Republicans to unite, defeat the Democrats’ radical socialist agenda, deliver real property tax relief, and defend the commonsense conservative values Hoosiers believe… pic.twitter.com/jDhcwn6SCl
— Paula Copenhaver for Indiana (@PaulaCopenhaver) August 10, 2026
“Today, we saw members of the Indiana Recount Commission attempt to undermine the will of voters by treating ballots differently based on whether they furthered the president’s political goals. This was not a meeting intended to find fairness; it was designed to find votes. Indiana law makes clear that valid votes should not be silenced simply because of minor errors made by clerks — clerks who were supposed to be trained by the chairman of this very commission,” Deery commented.
“Fortunately, this commission does not get the last word. We are confident Indiana’s appellate courts will restore the vote totals that have been counted and recounted, and reaffirm me as the choice voters made for the Republican nomination in Senate District 23,” he added.
Today, we saw members of the Indiana Recount Commission attempt to undermine the will of voters by treating ballots differently based on whether they furthered the president’s political goals. This was not a meeting intended to find fairness; it was designed to find votes.…
— Spencer Deery (@SpencerDeery) August 10, 2026
Fox 59 has more:
On election night, the Republican candidates were locked in a tight race for District 23, with Copenhaver and Deery each declaring victory after Deery received a reported 50.01% of the vote while Copenhaver tallied 49.99% of the vote at the time.
Deery, who was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 2022, was eventually declared the winner of the extremely close race, edging Copenhaver by three ballots.
Following the election, the Fountain County Clerk’s Office confirmed that officials counted three provisional ballots in the race, with two being counted for Copenhaver and one going toward Deery. The clerk’s office noted that five provisional ballots were deemed invalid.
This prompted Copenhaver to request a complete review of the outcome, stating that state law was violated and “undermined the will of Hoosier Republicans.”
At the time, Deery welcomed Copenhaver’s request, saying that “candidates have the right to request a recount of election results.”
The final winner of the Deery-Copenhaver race will come up against Democratic candidate David Sanders and Independent candidate Joshua Brant in the November general election.
What are your thoughts?
