Spencer Deery
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
George Washington University (MS)
Spencer Deery | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the Indiana Senate from the 23rd district | |
| Assumed office November 22, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Boots |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) George Washington University (MS) |
In 2025, Deery was one of 21 Republican senators to vote against mid-decade redistricting in Indiana, which would 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.[1] A student at Brigham Young University, Deery stated, "Children who attend high school here need opportunities to succeed, even if their status is undocumented. Most are American in their culture and denying them in-state tuition because of something their parents did is not only unjust but promotes despair, poverty and crime."[2] Deery was a publicist at Deseret Book Company, a The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishing company, in 2008.[3][4] Deery worked as deputy chief of staff at Purdue University for former university president Mitch Daniels.[5] Before his time at Purdue University, he served as a public policy research aid in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.[6]
Indiana State Senate (2022-Present)
Deery declined participating in the only State Senate District 23 candidate forum scheduled for the 2022 general election.[7] He also did not participate in a 2026 candidate forum.[8]
Legislation
His bill that received perhaps the heaviest news coverage was SB 202, which replaced university tenure with a review every five years for the “intellectual diversity” of faculty speech. Deery, the author of the bill, states: “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),” Deery said. “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.” .[9]
Views
In August 2025, former Governor Mitch Daniels, for whom Deery has worked for more than a decade, expressed his opposition to mid-decade redistricting in Indiana.[10] A week later, Deery expressed his opposition to redistricting.[11]
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."[12] 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."[13] In October 2022 Deery declared, "I support exceptions for the health of the mother, rape, incest and nonviable pregnancies."[14]
Personal life
Deery and his wife, Julia, live in Tippecanoe County with their three children.[15] Deery was the target of a swatting attempt.[16]
