President Donald Trump’s endorsement continues to be the Midas touch for the vast majority of Republican candidates lucky enough to earn it this primary season.
A recount in a closely contested Indiana Republican state Senate primary has shifted the outcome, placing challenger Paula Copenhaver, who was endorsed by Trump, ahead of incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery (R).
Deery was one of seven Republican state senators who drew primary challengers after voting against a revised congressional redistricting plan that Trump had supported last year.
Five of those incumbents were defeated outright on primary night, while Deery initially held a narrow three-vote lead before Copenhaver requested a recount.
On Monday, the Indiana Recount Commission invalidated 10 ballots during its review of the race—eight that had been counted for incumbent Spencer Deery and two for challenger Paula Copenhaver—according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
The revised tally gave Copenhaver a three-vote lead in the Republican primary.
Deery said on X that he would appeal the decision, calling it an “attempt to undermine the will of voters by treating ballots differently based on whether they furthered the president’s political goals.”
In a statement to NBC News, Deery claimed the commission’s decisions were bad precedent for future elections, though there is no indication any of the actions taken were politically motivated.
“What was most remarkable about today’s hearing was that voter intent was never in question,” Deery said.
“None of the ballots challenged were discarded because there was uncertainty about whom the voter intended to support,” he added.
“The disputes instead centered on technicalities resulting from errors by government officials,” he said.
“We are confident Indiana’s appellate courts will restore the vote totals that have been counted and recounted and reaffirm the choice voters made in Senate District 23,” he said.
“This was not a meeting intended to find fairness; it was designed to find votes,” he added.
Deery’s Attorney, Samantha DeWester, said she’s already preparing an appeal of the decision.
“This is unprecedented. Ballots don’t get tossed for a signature missing from a clerk,” DeWester said.
“It’s now going to set the tone going forward for people that are losers of elections that want to overturn them on technicality stuff,” she added.
Monday’s recount hearing opened with Indiana Recount Commission Director Evan Norris reviewing disputed ballots from each county within the 23rd State Senate District, as attorneys for both candidates challenged the validity of a number of votes, WFYI reported.
Copenhaver attorney William Bock argued that several absentee ballots failed to meet statutory requirements because they lacked the appropriate circuit court seal or required signatures.
He also contended that absentee ballots warrant close scrutiny due to their greater vulnerability to fraud.
Given the razor-thin margin in one of the closest elections in Indiana history, Bock argued that the commission had an obligation to apply the state’s election laws as strictly as possible when evaluating each ballot.
If the recount results are upheld following any appeals, Copenhaver would enter the general election as the favored candidate in the strongly Republican 23rd State Senate District.
“My reaction is: I’m ready for the general,” Copenhaver told reporters after the meeting, per WFYI.
She is expected to face Democratic candidate David Sanders, a member of the West Lafayette City Council, and independent candidate Joshua Brant.
The outcome could also influence future redistricting discussions in Indiana ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
Senate President Rod Bray (R), who opposed the Trump-backed congressional map, announced last month that he will not seek another term as the chamber’s Republican leader.
President Trump welcomed the recount outcome in a post on Truth Social, celebrating Copenhaver’s apparent lead, NBC News reported.
“I want to thank the Great State of Indiana for your support, not only in my Presidential Election, which we won with the Highest Vote in the History of the State, but also for your support in getting rid of wayward Senators, led down the Path of Destruction by a FOOL named Rodric Bray,” he wrote.
