By GARY ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina government’s most influential politician, Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger, conceded the primary race for his legislative seat on Tuesday, shaking the power structure in the ninth-largest state and likely soon ending his preeminence as the state’s top conservative architect.
Berger had trailed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page in their March 3 primary. He has been Senate leader since 2011 when Republicans took full control over the General Assembly for the first time in 140 years.
“While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,” Berger said in a news release conceding the election. “Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation. It has been an honor.”
President Donald Trump had endorsed Berger for reelection, praising him for his policy accomplishments.
Unofficial results on primary election night showed Page leading Berger by just two votes out of more than 26,000 counted in the 26th Senate District that includes part of Greensboro and neighboring areas.
Page’s lead expanded as elections boards in the two counties composing the district reviewed provisional, absentee and military and overseas ballots.
Trump’s endorsement of Berger occurred several weeks after the legislature redrew the state’s U.S. House district map in an attempt to flip a Democratic seat as part of the president’s redistricting campaign to retain GOP control of the U.S. House in this year’s midterm elections.
Page was outspent by Berger’s campaign by more than 50-to-1 through mid-February. That doesn’t include several million dollars that a pro-Berger independent expenditure group spent on mailers and advertising.
Berger, a 73-year-old attorney, has been a force in North Carolina government as the General Assembly implemented a rightward agenda despite opposition from a string of mostly Democrat governors, whose inherent powers are relatively weak.
Page, who was first elected sheriff in 1998, tapped into local voter discontent with a narrative that Berger was more interested in the state rather than in looking out for constituents.
Berger’s unsuccessful efforts in 2023 to pass a law that could have brought a casino to Rockingham County also angered social conservatives and gave Page an opening.
Even while endorsing Berger in December on social media, Trump praised Page and said he wanted the sheriff to instead “come work for us in Washington, D.C.” rather than run against Berger. Page — who had supported Trump’s immigration enforcement policies over the years — declined.
Berger first joined the Senate in 2001 and was minority leader before a GOP sweep in the 2010 elections.
Berger figured into every conservative policy prescription since, including income tax reform and reductions, private-school vouchers for any family, restrictions on abortion and looser regulations on gun access.
With support from the House speaker, Berger also enacted efforts to shift appointment powers away from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper and toward lawmakers and other officials.
The General Assembly’s chief work session for 2026 begins in April, when Berger’s top lieutenants will likely jockey in earnest to succeed him as Senate leader should the GOP maintain a majority in the fall.
The chamber’s 50 members pick a leader every two years. Republicans currently hold 30 seats — just enough to override Stein’s vetoes.
Berger’s allies have said the conservative shift he’s chartered fueled economic success in the state of 11 million, brought more school choice to parents and protected more of the unborn.
But his critics said his agenda benefited the rich, kept down salary increases for state employees and teachers and failed to adequately fund public schools while funneling money to private schools. Democrats also have accused Republicans of eroding rights for women and transgender people.
In recent months, House Republicans led by Speaker Destin Hall questioned the Senate’s stalled efforts to reduce income tax rates even further. Revenue projections suggest doing so now could lead to shortfalls.
Despite clashing with Cooper, Berger and then-Speaker Tim Moore ultimately reached a deal with him to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of adults.
Many of Berger’s allies and ex-aides work across state government. His children include a justice on the state Supreme Court, a Rockingham County commissioner and a state agency attorney.
Page would advance to the November general election in the GOP-leaning district. Berger could remain a senator and Senate leader through year’s end. Senators would pick a new chamber leader in early 2027.