Republican Paula Copenhaver pulled off a stunning comeback Monday after an Indiana recount erased incumbent State Sen. Spencer Deery’s razor-thin primary victory, handing her the GOP nomination by three votes.
The Indiana Recount Commission formally certified Copenhaver as the winner after reviewing the District 23 race, finding she received 6,332 votes to Deery’s 6,329. The outcome shifted after eight ballots that had originally been counted for Deery were rejected.
During the hearing, commission members said several ballots were thrown out because of “clerical errors” made by election officials.
The decision means the election was overturned months after Deery was initially declared the winner of the May 5 Republican primary by just three votes.
Copenhaver sought the recount on May 18, arguing that “illegal voting by unqualified voters” had undermined the integrity of the election after she narrowly lost to the first-term senator.
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The race attracted statewide attention because Copenhaver had President Donald Trump’s endorsement as part of a broader effort to unseat Republican incumbents in the Indiana Senate.
Trump announced in February that he would back challengers running against Deery and several other GOP state senators who opposed redistricting.
Election night produced one of the closest contests in Indiana. Initial returns showed Deery with 50.01% of the vote and Copenhaver with 49.99%, prompting both candidates to claim victory as the margin remained razor thin.
Deery, who was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 2022, was ultimately certified the winner by three votes after the original canvass. Monday’s recount reversed that outcome, with Copenhaver finishing ahead by the same three-vote margin.
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