Shining some sunlight on all that dark $$$ in the Page-Berger clash

This “Committee,” and THAT “Committee.”  “Citizens for” THIS and “Citizens for” THAT.  Voters in the recently completed GOP primary for state senate district 26 likely got buried in more mailings and broadcast ads than the entire state did for the US Senate primary.

It’s been estimated that $10-$12 million was spent against sheriff Sam Page in that race – aimed at sending Phil Berger back to Raleigh for two more years.  

But WHO actually was spending all of this money?  And WHY did they care so much about ONE out of fifty state senate seats?

A relatively new phenomenon in campaign politics is dark money. Campaign finance allows for certain entities that can raise and spend money without having to divulge where the money came from specifically.

We learned about at least one such entity involved in the Page-Berger race that was largely funded by the corporate entity behind online gambling giant DraftKings.  (It was also involved in a number of other legislative races.)

One group – NC True Conservatives – was behind some of the harshest attacks on sheriff Sam Page:

[…] The main mystery group supporting Berger is NC True Conservatives. It organized in September 2025 as an independent expenditure super PAC. Its treasurer is Larry Shaheen, a Charlotte political consultant, attorney for developers, UNC-Charlotte trustee, and prolific Republican donor. Three months ago, Shaheen wouldn’t reveal the group’s donors to WUNC but did announce, “By the time we’re done, there shouldn’t be a Republican in that district who will consider voting for” Page. 

Last week, a disclosure report for NC True Conservatives revealed it had received $2,850,000 and spent $2,776,016. Nearly $723,000 went to consultants Martin & Blaine, aka the Differentiators, for mailers; and $2,045,000 went to Strategic Media Delivery LLC for advertising. Jim Blaine and Charles Ray Martin are former staffers for Berger and the Republican Senate Caucus. Ray Martin is the “managing member” of Strategic Media Delivery LLC.

NC True Conservatives’ report lists two donors:  Citizens for a Better North Carolina in Raleigh gave $450,000 and Good Government Coalition Inc. in Springfield, VA, gave $2,400,000. But where do these front groups get their money? […]

Filings with the secretary of state’s office for Citizens for a Better North Carolina ID former ambassador James P. Cain as its registered agent through October 2020.  No updated, current information appears to be available.

The Good Government Coalition appears to be run by a New York City-based GOP operative named Jessica Proud. 

(Here’s documentation of a $350,000 wire transfer from Good Government to NC True Conservatives during the heat of the Berger-Page contest.)

MORE:

[…] Following the money

It turns out Citizens for a Better North Carolina got $5,750,000 from the Good Government Coalition (GGC) in 2024, so essentially all of NC True Conservatives’ money flows in from the GGC. In fact, since 2020, the Virginia-based Good Government Coalition has focused almost 90% of its funding on North Carolina politics. It supplied 91% of the $31 million that Citizens for a Better North Carolina and its affiliates raised for attack ads, mailers, etc. to win crucial legislative and judicial elections.    

So where does Good Government Coalition Inc. get its money? Soon after it began in 2020, it received $1,500,000 from the NC Chamber of Commerce, reflecting its Tar Heel orientation. Since then, 94% of its funds have come from the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) and GOPAC, the two big national funnels for collecting and channeling money to Republican state politics.  

Peeling back another layer, disclosure reports reveal that RSLC and GOPAC get about 90% of their contributions from corporations and trade associations like PhRMA and the US Chamber of Commerce. The top 20 donors since 2020 include tobacco giants Reynolds America (ranked #1, giving $10.8 million) and Altria (#6, $3.9 million), Dominion Energy (#11, $2.3 million) and Duke Energy (#17, $1.8 million). Illustrating the twisted path of mystery money, the Berger-allied Carolina Partnership for Reform (#8) sent $3.4 million from its hidden donors to RSLC, no doubt slated for return to the state.  

Phil Berger is one of the longest serving advisory board members of both the Republican State Leadership Committee and GOPAC. House Speaker Destin Hall is also a member, replacing Tim Moore.  Importantly, more than a fifth of the millions that the two organizations have contributed directly to intermediaries for state Republican campaigns across the country has gone to the North Carolina-focused Good Government Coalition.  

There are other national Republican vehicles that funnel millions to states for presidential and Congressional campaigns. But when it comes to state legislative and judicial campaigns, North Carolina has received an exceptional share of Republican money and attention, demonstrating that Phil Berger is not only powerful inside North Carolina; he is also a power player in national Republican circles. […]