Indiana Senate District 23 recount puts Paula Copenhaver ahead
A recount reversed Spencer Deery’s three-vote primary win, but he says he will appeal the ruling that put Paula Copenhaver ahead.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Indiana Senate District 23 recount has flipped a Republican primary decided at the razor’s edge: Trump-backed challenger Paula Copenhaver now leads incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery 6,332 votes to 6,329, according to Fox59. The Indiana Recount Commission certified Copenhaver, but Deery says he will appeal.
The reversal came after Deery had initially been certified as the winner of the May primary by three votes. The recount’s final tally shifted the race by six votes, turning Deery’s three-vote advantage into Copenhaver’s three-vote lead.
Why did the Indiana Senate District 23 recount change the result?
NBC News, citing the Indiana Capital Chronicle, reported that the Recount Commission excluded 10 ballots: eight cast for Deery and two cast for Copenhaver. Fox59 reported that the commission cited clerical errors by election officials in rejecting ballots.
Those exclusions account for the six-vote swing. Before the recount, certified results showed Deery ahead 6,337 to 6,334, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. The final recount totals reported by Fox59 were 6,332 for Copenhaver and 6,329 for Deery.
Deery has sharply disputed the ruling. In a statement to NBC News, he said voter intent was not at issue and argued that the disputes involved technical errors by government officials. He said he was confident Indiana appellate courts would restore the earlier totals.
His appeal means Copenhaver’s certification remains subject to a court challenge. Copenhaver did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment following the commission’s decision, though Fox59 reported she praised the certification and called for Republicans to unite ahead of November.
What started the recount fight?
Copenhaver requested the recount after the initial result, alleging that unqualified voters had participated in the Republican primary. Her petition identified 14 people whom her campaign said had publicly described themselves as Democrats or progressives while voting in the GOP contest, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
That allegation was not the reported basis for the commission’s ballot exclusions, and the available reporting does not establish that illegal voting occurred. Indiana has an open-primary system: voters can request either party’s ballot, but must attest that they voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or intend to do so in the next one, the Capital Chronicle reported.
The primary was part of a wider Republican clash over congressional redistricting. Copenhaver had President Donald Trump’s backing, while Deery was among seven GOP state senators who faced primary challengers after voting against a congressional map Trump had supported, NBC News reported. Five of those senators lost their primaries.
If Copenhaver’s win stands, she will face Democrat David Sanders and independent Joshua Brant in the general election, according to NBC News and Fox59. NBC News also reported that the incoming state Senate could reconsider congressional redistricting before the 2028 election.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.