Screw Waldo. Where’s Phil?
Supporters of Sam Page are having fun with that question here as we enter the third full week since their man’s victory over state senator Phil Berger. Apparently, he’s been very low profile as of late.
If you looked hard, you could have found Berger on the front page of the Raleigh News & Observer this morning. Berger and US Senate candidate Roy Cooper were pictured together at the 2023 ribbon-cutting for a proposed jet factory in Greensboro. Nearly three years (and ~$50 million+ in state funds) later, the factory is sitting empty and idle.
Back to the election. It seems Team Berger has developed an unprecedented concern about the issue of election integrity. Some election integrity activists I know said they had just about thrown up their hands and surrendered on the idea of getting Berger even slightly interested in their issue.
It’s funny how one’s thinking can change when an issue ends up affecting one personally. Vote fraud allegations used to be met with eye-rolls and snickers. But after people spend ~$12 million on you and you still manage to lose, some angry “investors” are going to want answers. Apparently, the *answer* from Team Berger is: vote fraud, vote fraud, vote fraud, vote fraud and vote fraud.
It’s quite charming to hear a guy universally regarded as the most powerful pol in the state – who reportedly can ram through whatever legislative changes he wants — whine like some kind of victim of *unfair* election practices.
The recounts have not changed a thing. Even if Team Berger was to win all four of their election complaints, it’s still not enough to reverse the election results
(Never mind that, every day this protest lags on, it acts as a reminder that Berger IS a failed Trump endorsement. )
At some point, Raleigh Republicans need to intervene and to decide whether Berger’s protests — and their drain on party funds and morale — are worth possibly jeopardizing November’s ticket.
