Indiana Redistricting foe declared election winner in blow to Trump gerrymander push

By Jacob Knutson

Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery (R) in April 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo: Doug McSchooler, AP)
Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery (R) in April 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo: Doug McSchooler, AP)

An Indiana state senator who bucked President Donald Trump’s demand for a gerrymandered congressional map in the state will likely keep his seat after the state Supreme Court Thursday declared him the victor in an extremely close primary race.

In affirming state Sen. Spencer Deery’s (R) three-vote victory over a Trump-endorsed candidate, the Indiana Supreme Court ended a months-long recount process. Its ruling also likely deals a serious blow to future Republican redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State.

Deery (R) was one of the seven Republican state lawmakers in Indiana who refused to vote for the president’s proposed mid-decade congressional gerrymander, despite facing immense political pressure from the White House.

Trump and his allies in Indiana targeted those holdouts in the state’s May primaries. Of the seven, only state Sen. Greg Goode — and now Deery — survived. 

Deery faced a challenge from Paula Copenhaver, a staffer for the state’s pro-gerrymander lieutenant governor. The contest came down to just a handful of votes, which set off a recount process. 

In finding Deery the victor, the state Supreme Court ruled that Republicans on the three-member commission overseeing the recount incorrectly threw out six ballots and flipped the race for Copenhaver.

The court concluded that state law barred the Republican commissioners from disqualifying ballots that lacked county clerk signatures or initials from election officials because those errors were caused by election officials and not voters.

“Indiana Code section 3-12-1-12 makes a qualifying ballot legally countable despite a defect caused by an election officer,” the court’s initial order read.

The court said it will later release a ruling explaining its reasoning in more depth.

Trump’s demand for a gerrymander in Indiana was part of his nationwide push for new maps to favor Republicans in the upcoming midterms.

This story has been updated with additional information throughout.