Indiana Senate District 23 Race Remains Too Close to Call
INDIANAPOLIS — A handful of votes are shaping the outcome of Indiana Senate District 23, where State Sen. Spencer Deery is claiming victory over Paula Copenhaver after early results showed him ahead by just three votes.
Dr. Laura Wilson says races this tight highlight why accuracy matters more than speed when every ballot can change the result.
“This literally comes down at this point to every ballot,” Wilson said. “That’s why accuracy is paramount, more important than just being quick. You want to make sure that you’re being correct and right in terms of counting ballots.”
The race has drawn statewide and national attention after President Donald Trump and allies backed several Republican primaries, including this one, to unseat GOP lawmakers who broke with him on key issues.
Deery was targeted after voting against a Trump-backed redistricting plan. He was among 21 Republican senators who opposed it and one of several incumbents challenged by a Trump-endorsed candidate.
Wilson says margins this close are rare and can still shift even after early victory claims.
“It could very well be a state Senate primary race decided by four singular votes,” she said. “This is incredibly unusual, almost truly as tight as it could be.”
Even with Deery declaring victory, Wilson says the result is not final while provisional ballots and other outstanding votes are still being reviewed.
“They may genuinely believe they won,” Wilson said. “Obviously when you’re talking four votes, though, we know we’re still counting provisional ballots and other things.”
She also says many people misunderstand what a victory claim means before results are certified.
“The candidate doesn’t get to claim victory unofficially in American politics when one candidate says they win and the other concedes,” she said. “That’s where most voters think the election is over, but the process is still ongoing.”
Indiana does not have an automatic recount threshold, so a recount must be requested if the margin stays extremely narrow.
“You don’t need outside auditors or anything like that to have an authentic, accurate recount,” Wilson said. “You just have to be much more careful in terms of counting ballots.”
If Deery’s lead holds, he and Greg Goode would be the only incumbents to advance out of a tense set of seven primary fights tied to lawmakers who opposed the Trump-backed redistricting plan.
Provisional ballots in Fountain and Montgomery counties are still being counted and could ultimately decide the outcome of the race between Deery and Copenhaver.
