A narrow Indiana primary has been decided by three votes, months after the election. The state's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery—who helped derail President Trump's push to aggressively redraw Indiana's congressional map—won his May primary 6,335 to 6,332, sending him on to November's ballot, the Washington Post reports. Trump had endorsed challenger Paula Copenhaver as part of a broader effort to unseat seven Republican state senators who opposed redistricting; his picks prevailed in five races.
A recount panel had initially flipped the result to Copenhaver by three by tossing Deery ballots lacking a clerk's stamp or signature. The high court swiftly reversed that, citing a state statute that says ballots are considered legally countable despite errors made by election officials, the Indianapolis Star reports. Deery said the decision was a win for voters' rights. "We could never have secure elections in our state if our votes could be invalidated by government error or malfeasance," he said. "Instead, in Indiana, we have set a precedent that says if you do everything right, your right to vote is sacred and protected." Copenhaver called the decision disappointing but said she respects the court's "right to their opinion."
Deery was among the state lawmakers who objected to the redistricting push on principle. "We are being asked to create a new culture in which it would be normal for a political party to select new voters, not once a decade—but any time it fears the consequences of an approaching election," he said last year. Trump attacked him in multiple Truth Social posts, calling him an "America Last" lawmaker who sided with "Far Left Democrats." Deery is expected to win his GOP-leaning district in November.
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