An Indiana Republican primary was overturned Monday after a recount transformed President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate from a three-vote loser into a three-vote winner. Republican Paula Copenhaver defeated incumbent state Senator Spencer Deery in the District 23 contest, according to the recount certified by the Indiana Recount Commission. The commission determined that Copenhaver received 6,332 votes while Deery finished with 6,329. Deery’s campaign is preparing to appeal the decision.
The ruling reversed the result announced following Indiana’s May 5th Republican primary, when Deery appeared to have survived the challenge by the narrowest possible margin. The original certified count gave Deery 6,337 votes and Copenhaver 6,334. Copenhaver petitioned for a recount after alleging that voting by people who were not qualified to participate in the Republican primary had affected the race.
Election-night returns had shown Deery receiving 50.01% of the vote to Copenhaver’s 49.99%. Both candidates claimed victory as outstanding ballots were reviewed, but Deery emerged from the original count with a three-vote advantage. That lead disappeared after the three-member Recount Commission examined approximately 15 disputed ballots from the six counties included in Senate District 23.
As Trending Politics News reported, eight ballots originally counted for Deery were rejected during the proceedings. Local reporting showed that the commission discarded eight Deery votes and two Copenhaver votes, producing the six-vote swing necessary to reverse the outcome. The disputed absentee ballots were missing items such as a county clerk’s signature or seal or the initials of election workers.
Copenhaver’s attorney argued that those official markings serve as required safeguards for mail-in absentee ballots. Deery’s attorney, Samantha DeWester, countered that voters should not lose their votes because election officials failed to complete the necessary paperwork. “Why on earth would we say your vote doesn’t count because there’s not a stamp on the backside of the ballot?” she asked, according to WFYI.
The commission’s two Republican members sided with Copenhaver on the contested ballots, while its Democrat member dissented. DeWester described the result as “unprecedented” and said an appeal was already being prepared. Deery was equally critical, saying, “This was not a meeting intended to find fairness; it was designed to find votes.” He expressed confidence that Indiana’s appellate courts would restore the earlier count.
The primary carried greater significance because Deery was one of 21 Republican state Senators who joined Democrats in opposing Trump’s attempt to redraw Indiana’s congressional districts before the 2026 midterms. The proposed map was intended to give Republicans an opportunity to capture all nine of the state’s congressional seats. Trump responded by endorsing primary challengers against GOP lawmakers who opposed the plan, including Copenhaver, who serves as a government affairs director in Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith’s office.
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Copenhaver said Deery’s opposition to redistricting prompted her campaign, describing the vote as “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” She argued that Republicans should have supported Trump’s attempt to counter Democratic redistricting efforts elsewhere in the country.
Beyond redistricting, Copenhaver campaigned on a “Hoosier First” platform centered on cutting property taxes, reducing regulations on small businesses and farmers, supporting law enforcement, defending gun rights and opposing what she called “Biden-era green energy scams.” She also called for stronger enforcement against illegal immigration and accused elected Republicans of failing to fight for the party platform.
Deery placed greater emphasis on affordability, education and Indiana’s independence from national political pressure. He proposed addressing health care, child care, utility and housing costs while improving the recruitment and retention of teachers. On property taxes, he criticized Indiana’s existing reform law for providing temporary relief that he argued would disproportionately benefit wealthier homeowners while harming rural communities.
Copenhaver will face Democratic nominee David Sanders, a Purdue University biology professor and West Lafayette City Council member, in the November general election if the recount result survives Deery’s expected appeal. After the commission announced its decision, Copenhaver urged Deery’s supporters and other voters in the district to unite behind her campaign. “I’m ready for the general,” she told reporters.