Spencer Deery

Spencer Deery
Deery in 2024
Member of the Indiana Senate from the 23rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 22, 2022
Preceded by	Phil Boots
Personal details
Party	Republican
Education	Brigham Young University (BA) George Washington University (MS)

Spencer Deery is an American politician serving as a member of the Indiana Senate from the 23rd district. He assumed office on November 22, 2022.

In 2025, Deery was one of 21 Republican senators to vote against mid-decade redistricting in Indiana, which could have net Republicans an additional 2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, prompting criticism from national and state Republicans such as president Donald Trump and governor Mike Braun, who endorsed a primary opponent.

Career

Deery earned a bachelor's degree from the Brigham Young University in communications and a master's degree in public administration from George Washington University. Deery was a publicist at Deseret Book Company, a The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishing company, in 2008. Deery worked as deputy chief of staff at Purdue University for former university president Mitch Daniels. Before his time at Purdue University, he served as a public policy research aid in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Indiana State Senate (2022-Present)

Deery declined participating in the only State Senate District 23 candidate forum scheduled for the 2022 general election but he participated in a forum for the 2026 primary.

Legislation

In 2024, Deery authored SB 202, a comprehensive higher education reform bill that established institutional neutrality, ended ideological oaths in hiring and established a system of tenure review. Under the system, tenured faculty are reviewed every five years for adequate performance of "academic duties and obligations" as well as adherence to supporting free speech and intellectual diversity. The bill also protected faculty from retaliatory action based on research, commentary or criticism of the institution. Deery defended the bill stating: “It’s not hard to find stories or research showing that there has been, increasingly over the last several decades, a monolithic, one-sided culture of what’s appropriate (in higher education). It’s a disservice to our students.” Despite the bill’s stated intention to promote intellectual diversity—defined as “multiple, divergent, and varied scholarly perspectives”—critics argue that it is an attack on academic freedom that would curb the teaching of facts and academic commentary that conflict with right-wing beliefs. David Sanders, a local city councilman and tenured Purdue University biology professor, stated, “They want their ideology represented in the discussion, and furthermore, again, it’s not about free speech. It’s not even about balance. They really want their ideology alone being presented in the classroom.” .

Views

Deery released a statement in August of 2025, saying "I took an oath before God to support the Constitution. There is no constitutional principle more basic than popular sovereignty and the idea that voters choose their leaders and shape their own destiny. While any gerrymandering can arguably violate that principle, what we are being asked to do goes far beyond the partisan map fights that happen every 10 years across the country. Rationalizing a mid-cycle redistricting by saying, 'Democrats gerrymander too' is an empty and irrelevant excuse. Instead, 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. That would clearly violate the concept of popular sovereignty by making it harder for the people to hold their elected officials accountable and the country would be an uglier place for it."

When the bill was being debated, Deery opposed the effort from a political conservative viewpoint, saying, “No one benefits when we shield those who hold power from the will of the voters...Over the long run, this accountability keeps us relevant, and it keeps us in power...Make no mistake, I, like many of those who will join me in voting no today are constitutional fiscal and religious conservatives...As long as I have breath, I will use my voice to resist a federal government that attempts to bully, direct and control this state or any state. Giving the federal government more power is not conservative, nor is the idea that any single election or branch of the government should determine the fate of the country...As long as we stay true to the Constitution, no single election result will determine the destiny of the nation.”

In a March 2022 debate before the Republican primary for Indiana Senate District 23 Deery stated, "I am pro-life and oppose abortion in every way." In an August 2022 statement Deery said, "In substance, my views are that I oppose elective abortions as a means of birth control, and I support exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, incest and nonviable pregnancies." In October 2022 Deery declared, "I support exceptions for the health of the mother, rape, incest and nonviable pregnancies."

Personal life

Deery and his wife, Julia, live in Tippecanoe County with their three children. Deery was the target of a swatting attempt.