It’s On !!! (Berger & Page file for marquee March showdown. )
I can imagine it’s rare for multiple TV cameras to show up at a rural elections office to cover the opening of the electoral filing period. But – in Rockingham County — THIS is no ordinary election cycle.
Longtime incumbent sheriff Sam Page (R) is seeking to unseat longtime state senator Phil Berger (R), the upper chamber’s president pro tem and arguably the “boss” of the NCGOP’s Raleigh operations.
Both Page and Berger are well known to folks in this part of the state. They’ve both been in public office and in the news for decades. There are not likely many voters out there who are undecided on these two.
The senate district is safe Republican. The winner of this primary face-off will likely be off to Raleigh for a full term in the legislature.
Page’s move has set off a lot of alarm bells in Raleigh. Berger has done a great job of getting a lot of cronies and special interests onto the state government gravy train. Many see that “cash flow” being at-risk if Berger gets replaced by Page.
It’s as one longtime local political observer pointed out to me:
“People are asking ‘Why does the sheriff want this’? Why is he making this move? The real question people need to ask is why these dark money folks have spent more than two million dollars promoting Phil Berger and trashing Sam Page before anyone had even filed for this senate seat.”
The Page campaign has pointed out Berger’s conservative talk at home which has been used to mask liberal sell-outs in Raleigh. Berger’s cooperation with Democrat Roy Cooper in expanding Medicaid and killing the HB2 bathroom bill are two frequently cited examples. We’ve also heard about Berger’s team-up with gambling interests for proposed hotly-disputed casinos in Rockingham and four other counties.
And there have also been rumblings about Berger’s refusal to go along with more conservative spending proposals from the House. The state budget is currently four months overdue thanks to one of those disagreements between Berger and the GOP-controlled House.
Page is being hit by Berger allies about perceived problems at the sheriff’s department and at the county jail. Though, he’s been overwhelmingly reelected by the county’s voters for seven four-year terms. Kevin Berger, son of Page’s opponent, is chairman of the county commissioners for Rockingham County. The younger Berger didn’t have a whole lot to say about Page’s performance until word started surfacing that Page might run against his dad.
All in all, this state senate race – in a district encompassing all of Rockingham County and portions of Guilford County — stands to surpass the *bigger* statewide Senate race in the 2026 cycle. In terms of public interest and money spent.
It WILL have a huge impact on how business is done in Raleigh.
While Berger is playing defense in Rockingham County, he is simultaneously trying to take down the Freedom Caucus in the House. Liberal establishment Republican Jimmy Dixon is conniving with Berger on that. Berger and Dixon are sponsoring primary challengers to the six leaders of the House Freedom Caucus, and have put out the word that they intend to spend $4 million to defeat them.
Berger is sore that House conservatives have blocked some of his liberal special interest legislation like his casino bill and his bill to do a solid for radical environmentalists by putting commercial fishermen out of business. Dixon is miffed because House conservatives blocked his efforts to put the farmers who supply raw milk out of business and to protect big out of state chemical corporations from lawsuits by NC farmers. As Ag Committee chairman, Dixon was in cahoots with the special interests to the extent he tried to screw NC farmers two different ways. It was House conservatives who protected NC farmers from Dixon’s machinations.
For a little perspective: I am a lifelong Republican, former NC Senate candidate, former Craven County GOP Chairman, and member of the NC GOP Hall of Fame.
I represented our state’s commercial fishing industry for close to 4 decades, resigning shortly before the Senate leadership’s attack on our shrimpers. For years I worked to establish personal and professional relationships with legislators and bureaucrats in an effort to educate so decisions could be made based on facts rather than perception. In doing so, I made not only professional connections, but close friends, or so I thought.
Prior to the introduction of the amendment to ban shrimping in committee, not one Senator or staff or legislator called, emailed or texted with any questions or concerns. Why not? It wasn’t because of pressure by “radical environmentalists” I can assure you! No, it was a promise and commitment to the Republican caucus made by a couple of interest groups backed by well-heeled individuals to give a lot of money in exchange for banning shrimping!
The amendment to ban shrimping was offered for one reason only: money that was promised to the Senate Republican Caucus!
The radical environmentalists I referred to is the CCA (Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), which also can direct some big money.
I understand and agree Steve, and it also included the NC Wildlife Federation. Folks need to understand that Senate leadership pushed a ban on shrimp trawling for MONEY, not to protect the environment. By doing so they declared war on eastern North Carolina and the working class.
“You will do me the justice to remember that I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it. The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.” Thomas Paine.
As to the voters on Hb442 last minute Senate amendment (Shrimpgate) to further expunge commercial fisheries in NC, I see slaves as well as those that failed to exercise their God given ability to reason RIGHT from WRONG.!!!!!! They individually might ought to have a sit down with themselves
I do not think there is an effective argument to the contrary that a Nation that can not feed itself can not effectively defend itself. Remember that. Some NC legislators have been groomed by the Coa$tal CON$ervation A$$ociation since just prior to the begining of Gov Jim Hunts second term. Its been down hill ever since for the commercial fishery AND the recreational fishery in NC. The MFC and DMF are an embarrassment to to their cause. Science be damned!!!! The GA should be defending NC’s ability to feed not just itself but millions of others.
I am not so certain that Berger’s seat in the State Senate is safely Republican. In the 2024 election, with the trends mostly favoring Republicans, Steve Luking, Democrat, came fairly close to defeating Senator Berger. It was Berger’s worst performance in a decade at least. His failing strength at the polls is attributable to the growing perception that Berger has gotten out of touch with his constituents, is running a political machine that bullies his own followers if they do not tow his dynasty’s line, and he is gorging on PAC money and other things to fatten his own wallet. Now the headwinds are blowing against the Republicans and Luking is back for another try. The GOP needs a more popular candidate than Berger to hold this seat, and that candidate is Sam Page.