{"id":2642762,"date":"2026-08-10T16:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indiana-recount-commission-finds-trump-backed-challenger-victorious\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T16:11:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:11:40","slug":"indiana-recount-commission-finds-trump-backed-challenger-victorious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indiana-recount-commission-finds-trump-backed-challenger-victorious\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana recount commission finds Trump-backed challenger victorious"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findiana-recount-commission-finds-trump-backed-challenger-victorious%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642762&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Indiana Recount Commission decided to overturn the results of the May Republican primary in the state&#8217;s west-central Senate district by invalidating three ballots, which favored a Trump-backed challenger over incumbent State Senator Spencer Deery.Originally, Copenhaver had lost by three votes but contested the election, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-attacks-project-veritas-james-okeefe-for-using-lawyers\/\" title=\"New York Times Attacks Project Veritas, James O&#039;Keefe for Using Lawyers\">alleging voter fraud<\/a> and improper voting by Democrats in the Republican primary. The commission rejected ballots lacking proper signatures or initials from election judges, citing Indiana law requiring such verification.Deery criticized the recount process as politically motivated and announced plans to appeal. The revised outcome declared copenhaver the winner, making Deery the seventh of eight Trump-endorsed Republicans defeated in Indiana primaries. The controversy underscored disputes over ballot validity and the influence of Trump-backed candidates in state politics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/indiana\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1228\">Indiana<\/a> Recount Commission on Monday moved to overturn the results of the May <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-primary\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1924\">Republican primary<\/a> election by throwing out three votes, handing the victory to a challenger backed by President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> in that state\u2019s west-central Senate district.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paula Copenhaver had originally fallen to incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery, who was one of several <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-politics\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11423\">state legislators <\/a>being challenged by a Trump-supported candidate for voting against redistricting the state. Copenhaver finished the primary just three votes behind Deery and later filed a recount petition alleging <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voter-fraud\/\">voter fraud<\/a> and claimed to have identified a handful of voters who voted in the Republican primary despite being Democrats.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4681504\/indiana-recount-commission-paula-copenhaver-wins\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Indiana recount commission finds Trump-backed challenger victorious<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4679728\/from-lebron-to-meek-mill-shapiro-courts-celebrities-in-campaign\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>From LeBron to Meek Mill, Shapiro courts celebrities in campaign<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4677700\/mike-lindell-trump-immigration-agenda-minnesota-governor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Lindell to unleash Trump\u2019s immigration agenda on Minnesota if elected governor<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on Monday, the recount commission threw out several votes, which flipped the primary results in Copenhaver\u2019s favor. The board rejected eight ballots cast for Deery and two for Copenhaver, just enough to turn the 3-point lead initially held by the incumbent to the challenger\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ballots were thrown out because they lacked the county clerk\u2019s signature or one or both sets of initials from election judges. Indiana law requires absentee ballots to be initialed by both a Republican and a Democratic election judge and include the signature and the seal of the county clerk.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, who represents District 23, canvasses a neighborhood on an electric scooter, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo\/Doug McSchooler)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP26103785310847.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, who represents District 23, canvasses a neighborhood on an electric scooter, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo\/Doug McSchooler)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the commission\u2019s decision, Deery took to social media to call the recount an effort to \u201cundermine the will of voters\u201d and said it was politically motivated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was not a meeting intended to find fairness; it was designed to find votes,\u201d Deery said. \u201cIndiana law makes clear that valid votes should not be silenced simply because of minor errors made by clerks \u2014 clerks who were supposed to be trained by the chairman of this very commission.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deery said he plans to appeal the recount commission\u2019s decision in the Indiana Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In challenging the initial primary results, Copenhaver <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4667499\/indiana-voter-recount-panel-gop-primary-subpoena\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4667499\/indiana-voter-recount-panel-gop-primary-subpoena\/\">claimed to have identified<\/a> roughly a dozen people who identified themselves as Democrats or \u201cprogressives\u201d on social media and voted in the May 5 Republican primary. During the recount process, Copenhaver requested subpoenas for testimony and documents from Tippecanoe County election officials about the processing of absentee ballots after the primary that added to Deery\u2019s total. Additionally, she asked for access to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program to verify the citizenship status of voters. Both of those requests were denied by the recount commission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\">TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The revised results on Monday make Deery the seventh of eight Republicans to fall to Trump-backed challengers in the Indiana primaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Copenhaver for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indiana recount overturns primary, favors Trump-backed challenger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2642763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26103785310847.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[3728,7006,36959,6275,3634],"class_list":["post-2642762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-election","tag-indiana","tag-political-victory","tag-recount","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26103785310847.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2642762"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2642771,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642762\/revisions\/2642771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2642763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2642762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2642762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2642762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}