North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger conceded the Republican primary for his longtime state legislative seat March 24, handing victory to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page after multiple recounts in one of the state’s closest races in years.
Berger, a Rockingham County Republican who has led the North Carolina Senate since 2011, trailed Page by 23 votes out of more than 26,000 cast in the state’s March 3 primary for state Senate District 26. Unofficial results on primary election night showed Page ahead by just two votes. A machine recount and partial hand-to-eye recount upheld the narrow margin, according to The Carolina Journal.
“While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,” Berger said in a concession statement. “Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation. It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation.”
Berger, first elected to the Senate in 2001, has become one of North Carolina’s most influential Republicans. His defeat marks a major upset in North Carolina politics, particularly after President Donald Trump endorsed him in December 2025. In the state Senate, Berger helped steer major conservative policies, including income tax cuts, school vouchers, and pro-life laws.
In October 2025, Berger received the Father Conrad Kimbrough Pro-Life Leadership award from Room At The Inn, a Greensboro-based maternity shelter, for his work advocating for the unborn.
In accepting the award, Berger said the pro-life progress made at the state level cannot be attributed to just one person. He also praised the work of Room At The Inn.
“It’s critically important to those women who find themselves at a great difficult point in their lives and to know that there are folks like the folks in this room that are willing to help them,” he said. “It means everything. Thank you so much.”
Page will advance to the November general election in the GOP-leaning district, where he will face Democrat Steve Luking, whom Berger defeated in 2024.
Berger will continue serving in his position until January 2027. In his statement, Berger vowed to “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,” he said, “I will also do everything I can to support all Republican Senate candidates and protect our supermajority.”