02/12/2026
Today is the first day of early voting for the NC primaries, and voters in Rockingham County and parts of Guilford County will begin deciding the future of the most powerful Republican in the state, NC Senate majority leader Phil Berger.
For the first time in years, the Senate leader will face an opponent in the primary, the popular county sheriff, Sam Page.
Excerpts from the story:
President Trump endorsed Mr. Berger last year shortly after the Senate leader spearheaded the approval of a new congressional map that is likely to give Republicans an extra U.S. House seat this year. Mr. Berger has denied accusations that he pushed for redistricting to secure Mr. Trump’s approval.
For many in rural Rockingham County, Sheriff Page — who has served the county for almost three decades — has been a near-constant affable figure steeped in Trump world. He texts with Tom Homan, the White House border czar, and jokes that the way to fix U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s image is to add “National” to its name so the acronym spells “NICE.”
The sheriff, whose phone wallpaper is a photo of him smiling next to the president, said in an interview that he had been watching a comedy channel on TV when Mr. Trump called to tell him that he wanted to endorse Mr. Berger but that “I want to endorse you, too.”
Some polls show that Mr. Berger will almost surely lose in Rockingham County, which accounts for about 45 percent of the votes in the district; the other 55 percent lie in parts of Guilford County.
Also entangled in the race is the fact that North Carolina remains the only state in the country without an approved budget. As the Republican-controlled chambers remain in a stalemate, mainly over tax disagreements, Mr. Berger’s fate next month could steer the way negotiations go.
A few photos from the story by Eduardo Medina, "In North Carolina, a Tight Primary Could Upend the Balance of Conservative Power"
