Recount puts Trump-backed challenger in the lead of Indiana state Senate primary
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- A recount in an Indiana state Senate primary has put Republican Paula Copenhaver, backed by former President Donald Trump, ahead of incumbent Spencer Deery by three votes after the Indiana Recount Commission discarded certain ballots.
- Deery, who narrowly lost after initially leading by three votes, plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the ruling undermines voter intent and sets a bad precedent by focusing on technical errors made by officials.
- Copenhaver, an aide to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, has not commented on the recount outcome, but if her lead holds, she is favored to win the general election in the heavily Republican 23rd District.
- The contested primary follows a broader GOP conflict over a Trump-backed congressional map, which Deery and other senators opposed, resulting in several incumbents losing their primaries.
- Senate President Rod Bray, who opposed the Trump-backed map and will not seek another term as Republican leader, indicated the new Senate might reconsider redistricting before the 2028 election.
