RALEIGH — Senate Phil Berger (R-Eden) conceded to Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page today following partial district hand recounts which failed to change the 23 vote difference between the two men.
“While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,” Berger said in a statement.
“Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation,” said Berger. “It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation.
“Looking ahead, I remain committed to working with my colleagues in the short session to ensure North Carolina continues to be the best state in the nation in which to live, work, raise a family, and retire. In the months ahead, I will also do everything I can to support all Republican Senate candidates and protect our supermajority.”
The Senate District 26 precincts chosen by the State Board of Elections for the 3% random sample hand recounts in Guilford included the 263 ballots for the JEF1 precinct (McLeansville Baptist Church) and 617 ballots in OR1 precinct (Oak Ridge Town Hall).
In Rockingham County, the precinct chosen was MO precinct (Monroeton Elementary School) which had 460 ballots.
A prior machine recount of the both counties also produced no change in the vote tally. With his concession, the four elections protests his campaign had also filed will likely be dropped.
“I appreciate Senator Berger’s call earlier today and his concession,” said Page in a statement. “I’m grateful for his years of service to our state, and I thank him for wishing me the best moving forward.”
“This was a hard-fought campaign, and I’m honored that the voters of Guilford and Rockingham counties placed their trust in me,” said Page, who was reportedly outspent 40-1 by Berger ahead of the March 3 Primary. “Now it’s time for our community to come together and focus on winning in November.”
President Donald Trump had endorsed Berger in the primary race.
House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) issued a statement praising Berger’s leadership.
“Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger has been a true titan of conservative leadership in North Carolina,” said Hall. “For more than two decades, Senator Berger has been a stalwart champion of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the values that have made North Carolina a beacon for families and businesses.
North Carolina is stronger, freer, and more prosperous today thanks to Senator Berger’s leadership, and that legacy will endure well into the future, shaping our state for generations to come,” Hall said.
Berger, in his 13th term in the senate, leaves a long legacy of tax and economic reforms which have propelled the state to the top of the nation. Eliminating the state’s massive debt during former Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue while stockpiling the state’s rainy day fund and other reserves also bears Berger’s mark.
First elected to the state Senate in 2000, Berger has been the Senate Leader since 2011 following the 2010 Tea Party wave which saw North Carolina Republicans gain majorities both chambers for the first time in over a century.
Berger’s deep involvement in redistricting efforts, coupled with his fundraising ability, would aid Republicans in maintaining majorities. He would also lead efforts that tightened up state absentee ballot and elections laws.
Once installed, his overall leadership style aimed to bolster and maintain legislative powers balanced with limited government ideals, or as he would often call them, “commonsense,” conservative reforms.
Berger, considered the most powerful politician in the state, has been a central figure in the state’s shift toward conservative policies on a wide range of pro-business issues such as leading extensive tax reforms and regulatory reform, but also addressing workforce needs by bolstering K-12 education offerings.
During his tenure, he also took up various hot topic issues such as Critical Race Theory indoctrination in K-12 and higher education and the Parents’ Bill of Rights, as well as dealing with the Charlotte Ordinance, which allowed any sex to use any bathroom or locker room in the Charlotte area and prompted the filing of House Bill 2.
In the last decade, he was also well-known for his education policies like Read to Achieve and The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021, which has markedly improved K-3 literacy through the Science of Reading using a phonics based system.
Berger was also a champion of school choice including removing the caps on charter schools and seeing through the expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship Program. In higher education, Berger sought more legislative input in the University of North Carolina system, including more appointments to the system’s governing boards.
