Paul Newton, Phil Berger
FILE – North Carolina state Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus, at podium, speaks while Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, listens at a Legislative Building news conference on June, 2, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. On Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, incoming and returning Republicans to the North Carolina Senate chose Newton, a key lawmaker on tax, voting and energy issues, to become the chamber’s majority leader for the next two years. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson, File)