Page, Berger race too close to call in GOP primary that could shake up NC legislature

One of North Carolina’s most powerful state legislators was in a dead heat with his GOP primary opponent late Tuesday after all of the district’s precincts reported their vote totals.

Senate leader Phil Berger, who was first elected in 2001, trailed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by two votes Tuesday night in the Republican primary to represent the senate’s 26th district.

Elections officials still need to count provisional ballots and ballots from military and overseas voters. Provisional ballots are expected to be counted by Friday. Overseas and military ballots are expected to be counted between now and the March 13 county canvass. After the full count is completed, and provided the difference is less than 1%, the trailing candidate can then request a recount. 

According to unofficial results, Page received 13,077 ballots and Berger received 13,075 in the race, which covers Rockingham and parts of Guilford counties.

"A win is a win," Page told supporters at a campaign event Tuesday night.

He said that the outstanding votes would help.

Berger didn't concede. He said the uncounted ballots may flip the race in his favor. He repeatedly called for the counting of all "legal ballots."

"We will continue through the process until we know what the result is," Berger said. 

Legislative leaders rarely lose elections, much less primaries. However, political analysts have said Page posed a legitimate threat to Berger because he gained name recognition while serving as Rockingham County sheriff for more than two decades, and because he gained support from residents frustrated by Berger’s consideration of a casino in the district in 2023.

Berger and outside groups spend millions to help him hold onto the seat.

"We just showed that money don't win elections," Page said. "Relationships win elections. We have the support of the people. We have the support of the voters, the citizens of Rockingham and Guilford county and that's who I work for."

The district — sprawling from the Virginia border southward to cover rural areas of Rockingham and Guilford counties while avoiding the Democratic hubs of Greensboro and High Point — has attracted national attention because of the high stakes. 

Berger became the Senate president pro tempore in 2011. As leader of the Senate, he has strong influence over which measures advance in the chamber. He has stayed in the leadership position through several governors and House speakers. Over the past 15 years, Berger has led Republican measures to cut taxes, slash regulations, and rewrite state policies to more align with the GOP’s agenda.

Democrats, often powerless to stop Berger's efforts, delighted in Tuesday's results.

"Voters in his district have sent a clear message," Sydney Batch, the top Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement. "After years of hollow promises and failed leadership that prioritized raw political power over the needs of real people, they were ready for a change. As is our entire state. This outcome is a reminder that no one person is entitled to power, and no one person can buy their way to control forever."

Berger’s legislative track record has helped him win 13 elections in a row by double-digit margins — and a few without any opposition. 

Page’s critics — including Berger — recognized the strength of his campaign. Outside a Guilford County polling place Tuesday, Berger told WRAL that he launched his reelection campaign earlier and more intensely this year because Page is “probably better known than me.”

"We always knew that the potential existed for this to be close," Berger said Tuesday night. "I think you could say this is close."

President Donald Trump endorsed Berger in the race in December and urged Page — whom Trump has praised and considers a longtime supporter — to drop out of the race and instead work for his administration in Washington. When Trump called Page and offered the sheriff a job in Washington, D.C., Page said he declined because he believed he could be more effective for Rockingham County residents in the state Senate. 

Page gained the trust of many Triad voters even before running for state Senate. He helped lead Trump’s reelection campaign in North Carolina in 2020. And in 2024, he ran for lieutenant governor and placed fifth among the GOP primary field of 11 candidates, along the way carrying Rockingham and six other counties.

In the legislative race, Page campaigned on the notion that the Senate leader has lost touch with the needs of his district. And he said Berger should have been more transparent with Rockingham County residents about the casino idea in 2023. 

Casinos are only allowed on tribal lands in North Carolina. Berger at the time supported a proposal to allow for casinos outside tribal lands in an effort to keep North Carolina gamblers — and the tax dollars they generate — from leaving the state for a new casino across the Rockingham County line in Danville, Virginia.

Some residents spoke out against the idea and took issue with stakeholders making preparations without first seeking public input. Rockingham commissioners rezoned a 192-acre plot to potentially allow a casino in anticipation of a potential change in state law.

Berger maintains that he welcomed public feedback and took it into consideration, as evidenced by his decision to abandon the idea. Berger says his record shows he has been responsive to Rockingham residents and fellow Republicans across the state. He has provided funding for various community needs and economic development projects — including the opening of a UNC Health hospital, as well as tens of millions of dollars for transportation projects and water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, in addition to funding for local colleges and universities.

Berger and his allies are cast Page as someone who can’t handle more responsibility. They point to issues in the Rockingham County Detention Center, which is run by the sheriff’s office.

A dozen people have died in jail since 2021, according to a review by the Greensboro News & Record. Some of those deaths were by suicide. In 2024, the county’s insurer informed commissioners that they would no longer cover the Rockingham County jail — a development covered by multiple media outlets.

Page has said the jail deaths had nothing to do with the conditions of his facility, saying: “The sad thing about jails in general is they’re just like a hospital; you're going to have people come into your facilities that have addiction issues, medical issues and mental health issues. Sometimes people die. They pass away. It will — and it has — happened. But we have medical staff, we have trained staff, and we follow the law as we're supposed to.”

Page told WRAL that his office deals directly with the county manager, the county attorney, and the risk manager in reporting jail deaths, adding: “None of those are sheriff’s office employees.” Still, Page said he installed new procedures for monitoring an inmate’s physical and mental condition, and more training requirements for his staff.

WRAL reporters Tom Santaniello, Carly Haynes and Shaun Gallagher contributed.