Jim Banks

Sen. Liz Brown is claiming victory in her hotly contested state Senate primary after challenger Darren Vogt moved to dismiss the recount July 20, according to a document obtained by IndyStar.

It's a rare loss for U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican with a reputation for making or breaking key Indiana elections, after he backed Vogt against Brown. Despite support from Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita and a costly ad-buy, Vogt fell 15 votes short of unseating Brown. Brown, however, was backed by President Donald Trump.

Vogt filed his motion to dismiss just a few weeks after Vogt's lawyer, James J. Ameen Jr., withdrew from Vogt's case June 25. Vogt has also filed to run for re-election as a board member for Northwest Allen County Schools. The deadline to file for school board was June 18.

Vogt did not respond to IndyStar questions about his decision, which comes on the eve of a recount commission hearing scheduled for July 21.

In a statement from the Brown campaign July 20, the Fort Wayne Republican framed herself as the true conservative choice while knocking Banks and Rokita's involvement in the race.

"Voters had a clear choice of two very different candidates," Brown said in the statement. "They 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."

She called the recount proceedings "costly, time-consuming and unnecessary" and accused Vogt of sowing distrust in Allen County elections.

"There is vital work to do to reunify the party and rebuild trust in the Allen County Election Board after they were accused of mistakes and malfunctions by my opponent," she said. "I look forward to fielding a phone call from Darren which will be a critical first step in this process."

Banks and Rokita had thrown their support behind Vogt following a dust-up with Brown in 2025, when Brown did not hold a hearing for an immigration bill that would have given Rokita more authority to enforce civil penalties for noncooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Brown was quick to rectify the situation in 2026, when she authored what critics called a watered-down version of the bill before accepting a mark-up that made it virtually indistinguishable from the 2025 legislation.

Her pivot did little to cool wrath from Rokita and Banks, however; both have called her a liberal and accused her of being soft on immigration.

Vogt, a staffer for Banks, received thousands of dollars from campaigns for Banks and Rokita ahead of the May primary. His loss is one of few smudges on Banks' political record. His efforts to unseat state Senate incumbents who opposed redistricting were largely successful, and a last-minute rush to swap the scandal-plagued Diego Morales with Banks ally Max Engling in the secretary of state's race won the approval of GOP delegates in June.

Brown's victory may have been buoyed by a golden ticket from Trump, who faithfully endorsed Brown along with other pro-redistricting senators ahead of the May primary.

The recount process in Senate District 23, where Trump-endorsed Paula Copenhaver is challenging West Lafayette Republican Sen. Spencer Deery's even narrower victory, is still ongoing.

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Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at [email protected] or find her on X at @marissa_meador.