Phil Berger, long considered the state’s most powerful politician after 13 terms in the General Assembly, is likely to face a primary challenge in March 2026 from the sheriff of Rockingham County.
Sam Page, who has held the sheriff’s job since 1998, says he’s prepping a run for the seat long held by N.C. Senate leader Berger because of growing support from local residents who want change. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Page’s plan, which he confirmed in an interview with Business North Carolina. He said he’s assembling a campaign team in the next few weeks.
Page finished fifth last year in the GOP primary for lieutenant governor. But he says he was pleased with support in his local congressional district. He had considered challenging Berger in 2024 before opting to aim for statewide office.
“Since then, I’ve gotten lots of calls about the leadership in our General Assembly, including lots of encouragement from across the state,” says Page.
Asked what differentiates him from Berger, Page cited his opinion that the senator promoted a casino development in Rockingham County without enough public input. He also cited Berger’s support for Medicaid reform, which has provided health insurance for more than 600,000 low-income residents while entailing more government spending. The senator’s support reversed years of opposition, during which Berger contended that the program was too costly.
Page also says he many people have told him power is too concentrated at the state legislature, with a handful of people in control. Berger is widely regarded as having a key voice in most legislative matters involving the Senate, which has 30 Republican members and 20 Democrats. His post also has enabled him to influence the leadership and appointments of many state-affiliated boards and agencies.
“We have a representative government and everyone should have input,” Page says.
Berger, 72, was elected to the Senate in 2000 and was minority leader from 2005-11. He has been Senate president pro tempore since Republicans took control of the chamber in 2011.
He has led efforts for lower state income tax rates, expanded school choice and improving the state’s business climate. During his tenure, he’s earned strong loyalty from other Republican senators, who have consistently kept him in charge of their caucus.
Berger’s three children are also in public service. Phil Berger Jr. was elected as a state Court of Appeals judge in 2016, then won election to the N.C. Supreme Court in 2020. Ashley Berger Snyder was appointed in 2021 as state Codifier of Rules, which enters rules into the N.C. Administrative Code and oversees attorneys at the state Rules Review Commission. And Kevin Berger is a Rockingham County Commissioner, first elected in 2016.
Asked if he would run again in 2026, Berger told state capital reporters last week he didn’t want to “prejudge any decision that really doesn’t have to be made until later in the year.” He added that he enjoys his work as a lawmaker.
Page and others lobbied state lawmakers in 2023 against attempts by Berger and others to increase the number of authorized casinos in the state. That plan would have included a Rockingham County operation, which Berger supported as an economic development benefit.
House and Senate Republicans didn’t agree on how to proceed on casinos, and the measure stalled.
Increasingly, a key issue in Republican primary elections is gaining the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Page described himself as a supporter of Trump and his “America First” policies, though he didn’t say that he has received the president’s nod.