Narrow vote margins leave 2 GOP Indiana Senate races in uncertainty

The wrap up of initial vote tallies from Indiana’s Republican primary showed incumbent Sens. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne and Spencer Deery of West Lafayette in narrow races that could face recounts.

Updated vote totals on Wednesday gave Brown a 15-vote margin — 5,241 to 5,226 — over Darren Vogt. Brown declared victory, while Vogt called the unofficial count “effectively tied.”

Indiana Election Division figures, meanwhile, put Deery ahead of President Donald Trump-endorsed challenger Paula Copenhaver by just four votes — 6,335 to 6,331 — and both candidates made declarations of victory.

Brown is seeking her fourth term and faced a bitter primary against Vogt, who is a staffer to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and was also supported by Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Brown supported redistricting and was endorsed by President Donald Trump. She touted the vote count as a win, putting herself alongside Trump-endorsed candidates who defeated six Republican incumbents who voted against redistricting.

Trump-backed candidates romp to wins in Indiana Senate races

Brown said in a statement that District 15 voters “chose the unwavering pro-life conservative who stands on principle, no matter the cost, rather than the candidate fielded last summer by an Attorney General and U.S. Senator hungry to hold influence.”

Vogt did not concede on Wednesday.

“Out of respect for the voters and the process, we are exploring all of our options to ensure every legal vote is counted and every voice is heard,” Vogt said.

Following are summaries of other key Republican and Democratic state Senate primary outcomes based on vote tallies compiled by The Associated Press and the Indiana Election Division:

Wins by Trump-endorsed challengers

District 1: Trevor De Vries won with 75% of the vote over Sen. Dan Dernulc of Highland

District 6: Jay Starkey won with 56% over Sen. Rick Niemeyer of Lowell 

District 11: Brian Schmutzler won with 59% over Sen. Linda Rogers of Granger 

District 19: Bluffton City Councilman Blake Fiechter won with 61% over Sen. Travis Holdman of Markle

District 21: Tipton County Commissioner Tracey Powell won with 65% over Sen. Jim Buck of Kokomo 

District 41: State Rep. Michelle Davis of Whiteland won with 59% over Sen. Greg Walker of Columbus 

Loss by Trump-endorsed challenger

District 38: Sen. Greg Goode of Terre Haute won with 54% of the vote over Trump-endorsed Vigo County Councilwoman Brenda Wilson (36%) and first-time candidate Alexandra Wilson (10%)

Other notable Republican races

District 17: Chris Parker, a Huntington coffee shop owner and real estate agent, won with 46% over Sen. Nick McKinley (42%), who won a Republican Party caucus in February to replace former Sen. Andy Zay, and Michael Hensley (12%). McKinley will still serve the rest of the current term, which ends in November. 

District 22: Sen. Ron Alting of Lafayette won with 59% over Richard Bagsby, who ran a right-wing campaign with the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.

Open Senate seat races

District 29 (a swing district now held by Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford of Indianapolis): Former Sen. John Ruckelshaus won the Republican primary with 49% of the vote over former Sen. Mike Delph and Roni Ford.

Kristina Moorhead, a pharmaceutical lobbyist and former state Medicaid official, won the Democratic nomination with 51% over three other candidates.

District 31 (a swing district now held by Republican Sen. Kyle Walker of Indianapolis): Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal won the Democratic primary with 38% over Fishers real estate agent Catherine Torzewski (36%) and two other candidates.

On the Republican side, Hamilton Southeastern School Board member Juanita Albright won with 38% over Fishers City Councilwoman Tiffanie Ditlevson (25%) and two other candidates.

District 39 (a strongly Republican district now held by GOP Sen. Eric Bassler of Washington): Former state Rep. Jeff Ellington of Bloomfield won the Republican primary with 46% over Owen County Republican Chair Kristi Risk (31%) and Vincennes attorney Tanner Bouchie (23%)

Democrat Joseph Baughman of Vincennes was unopposed in the primary.

District 46 (a strongly Democratic district now held by Sen. Andrea Hunley of Indianapolis): Allissa Impink, director of statewide community engagement for the Women’s Foundation of Indiana, won the Democratic primary with 69% over two other candidates.

No Republican candidates entered the primary.