Trump-Backed Paula Copenhaver Wins Indiana Recount by Three Votes

Jimmy ParkerAugust 10, 20260

A Three-Vote Race Flips the Other Way

Indiana State Sen. Spencer Deery, a Republican incumbent who opposed President Trump on redistricting, has now lost his primary race to conservative challenger Paula Copenhaver after a recount. According to reporting cited from The Indianapolis Star, Deery had first been certified as the winner after the May 5 primary by just three votes. That margin was thinner than gas station coffee, and it did not hold. A three-person commission, which included Republican Secretary of State Diego Morales, certified Copenhaver as the winner by three votes. That is a six-vote swing in a race where every ballot mattered, and yes, this is exactly the kind of result people should remember the next time someone says one vote does not count.

Rejected Ballots Changed the Result

The recount fight centered on ballots that Copenhaver’s campaign challenged. The Indianapolis Star reported that Copenhaver successfully challenged eight votes that had been counted for Deery, while two votes counted for Copenhaver were also rejected. The rejected Deery votes were reportedly tossed largely because of missing initials and stamps. That may sound like inside-baseball election paperwork, but in a race this close, paperwork becomes the whole ballgame. Deery went from narrowly surviving the primary to losing it after the commission finalized the count. FOX 59 reported that it was unclear whether Deery would appeal the decision to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Trump’s Redistricting Fight Had a Scoreboard

The race carried extra weight because Deery was among Indiana Republicans who defied Trump on redistricting. The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Trump backed primary challenges against seven Republican state senators who rejected his redistricting plan, which was described as a proposal that could have given Republicans a 9-0 congressional map in Indiana. On primary night, five of Trump’s preferred candidates won, one clearly lost, and Deery appeared to have survived. After this recount, the number of defeats for that group rose to six. For the political class, that is a very uncomfortable receipt. For voters, it is a reminder that close elections are not decided by cable news panels, consultant spin, or fancy mailers. They are decided by counted ballots, challenged ballots, and sometimes three votes.

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