Trump-backed Indiana State Senate candidate Paula Copenhaver has defeated RINO incumbent Spencer Deery after a recount gave Copenhaver the edge by three votes.
🚨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.
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 10, 2026
Deery, who opposed redistricting, had been leading by 3 votes before the recount.
A 6-vote swing determined the outcome. pic.twitter.com/avw0zgWkLD
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: Indiana RINOs are in a state of SHOCK after a recount flips the State Senate race and UNSEATS anti-MAGA redistricting Sen. Spencer Deery
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 10, 2026
This election was decided by 3 VOTES!
"Deery was initially declared the victor by a margin of just 3 VOTES, but technical… pic.twitter.com/eDvlsHaVyB
Following Copenhaver and Deery’s razor-thin primary margin, Copenhaver requested a recount. Election officials then rejected eight ballots that were originally cast for Deery, lowering his total vote count to 6,329.
Deery was one of several Indiana state senators who opposed President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the contentious midterm elections. Trump endorsed a slew of primary opponents who refused to support redistricting efforts, leading to a massive shake-up of the Indiana Legislature.
Deery, who was presumed to have narrowly avoided defeat following the May 5 primary, has claimed that Indiana elections officials have worked to “undermine the will of voters by treating ballots differently based on whether they furthered the president’s political goals.”
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
Deery says that he is confident that Indiana courts will reverse the certification of Copenhaver’s victory.
Should the court uphold the election as it stands, redistricting-minded Republicans will now have the votes required to move forward with a mid-decade redrawn map.
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