One of the most accomplished Republican legislators in North Carolina history faces a primary challenger with enough name-recognition to potentially capture his seat and upend the state’s power dynamics — a battle involving casinos, shrimpers, raw milk and allegations of playing politics with public safety.

Phil Berger has represented Rockingham County in the state Senate for 25 years, becoming the chamber’s leader in 2011 and subsequently leading Republican measures to cut taxes, slash regulations, and rewrite state policies to more align with the GOP’s agenda. Berger’s legislative track record has helped him win 13 elections in a row by double-digit margins — and a few without any opposition.

This year, however, Berger faces a challenger from within his own party — Sam Page, the cowboy-hat-wearing Rockingham County sheriff who has used his law-enforcement ties to become a voice in debates over immigration from North Carolina to Washington.

A Page win would usher-in a new era of leadership in the Senate. Berger, who some consider the most powerful politicians in the state, has controlled the chamber’s actions while serving as the only Republican Senate President Pro Tempore in 140 years. As the Senate leader, he has the power to determine which bills can advance in the chamber, and he has used his influence to steer millions of dollars in state funding to his small, rural county of almost 100,000 people.

Page is campaigning on the notion that the Senate leader has lost touch with the needs of his district. Page points to Berger’s consideration of a casino in Rockingham County in 2023, his endorsement of a Democratic judicial candidate in 2022, and what Page describes as a lack of transparency with local constituents. The district sprawls from the Virginia border southward to cover rural areas of Rockingham and Guilford counties while avoiding the Democratic hubs of Greensboro and High Point.

Page gained the trust of many Triad voters even before running for state Senate. He helped lead President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in North Carolina in 2020. And last year, he ran for lieutenant governor and placed fifth among the GOP primary field of 11 candidates, along the way carrying Rockingham and six other counties.

“Where I’m going to be successful and defeat them is through relationships I have built with the citizens of Rockingham County during my tenure as sheriff, during my 43 years in law enforcement,” Page told WRAL in an interview. “I work for the citizens of Rockingham County. ‘We the people’ — that’s who my bosses are.”

Berger says his record shows he has been responsive to Rockingham residents and fellow Republicans across the state. He has provided funding for various community needs and economic development projects — including the opening of a UNC Health hospital, as well as tens of millions of dollars for transportation projects and water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, in addition to funding for local colleges and universities. He abandoned the casino idea after local pushback, and says he has supported local officials who he believed would best serve the community.

“I have led the conservative reforms that have occurred in North Carolina for a number of years: the tax reductions, the regulatory reforms, the education reforms, the reforms in how we deal with capital projects,” Berger said in an interview with WRAL.

“I have also done a great deal as part of that to bring attention to the district that I represent,” he said, adding: “Some argue that maybe we get more than our fair share of state dollars into the district.”

Voters are now being asked to choose between two Republicans that many supported simultaneously for more than two decades. And it’s getting contentious.

Page recently accused the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners — of which one of Berger’s sons, Kevin, is chairman — of publicly attacking him for “political theater.” Third-party groups supporting Berger have set up websites and social media accounts to attack Page, while also launching ads that promote the senate leader.

“I’ve never seen it this ugly,” said Diane Parnell, chair of the Rockingham County Republican Party.

In North Carolina and across the nation, it’s common for big interest groups to support the reelection campaigns of legislative leaders. The thinking: It’s best to stay on the good side of officials who control taxes and regulations in the state.

That’s one reason it’s rare for a legislative leader to lose a primary race. Berger’s predecessor, Marc Basnight, served as Senate Leader for 17 years and didn’t lose the gavel until Democrats lost their legislative majority in 2010. In the other chamber, the most recent House Speakers — Republicans Tim Moore and Thom Tillis — used their platform as a springboard to Washington. Moore is now a congressman, and Tillis is the state’s senior senator.

‘Grassroots slugfest’

Both candidates have amped up their allegiances to Trump, hoping to attract the Republican nomination in a county where Republicans make up the biggest voting bloc. On his website, Page highlights his role as a campaign chair for Trump in 2020, and he endorses Trump’s tax cuts. Berger touts his support for immigration enforcement, opposition to environmental regulations and “woke policies,” among others. The endorsement section of Berger’s website features a prominent image of the lawmaker with Donald Trump Jr. but no mention of a Trump endorsement.

In Rockingham County, pro-Berger ads commissioned by a third-party group started appearing nearly six months ahead of the March primary. Billboard and mail ads show Berger carrying a shotgun and wearing camouflage, while also touting an endorsement and an A-plus grade from the National Rifle Association. The NRA clarified to WRAL that the grade and endorsement are for previous election cycles and that the NRA hasn’t endorsed anyone in this year’s primary.

The onslaught of third-party ads in favor of Berger show that the senator’s supporters believe he needs help in the primary, said Michael Bitzer, political scientist at Catawba College in Salisbury.

“Boy, it is a grassroots slugfest within the county,” Bitzer said. “Both candidates are basically in open war against the other.”

Page’s campaign is trying to capitalize on some local resentment toward Berger that has been building since 2023, when state lawmakers considered allowing a casino in Rockingham County.

Casinos are only allowed on tribal lands in North Carolina. Berger at the time supported a proposal to allow for casinos outside tribal lands in an effort to keep North Carolina gamblers — and the tax dollars they generate — from leaving the state for a new casino across the Rockingham County line in Danville, Virginia.

Some residents spoke out against the idea and took issue with stakeholders making preparations without first seeking public input. Rockingham commissioners rezoned a 192-acre plot to potentially allow a casino in anticipation of a potential change in state law.

“We had to provide parking, parking support, security, and just about every building in that county government complex had people in it with TVs where they could watch and monitor the hearing,” Page recalled.

To some, it looked like Berger had struck a deal in the dark, Page said. That’s not what happened, Berger says.

“The reality is that the proposal was out there, feedback was sought, feedback was received, and the project was not seen through. It was abandoned,” Berger said.

In the early stages of casino discussions, Berger said he called Page to get his opinion of the proposal. According to Berger, Page didn’t have a problem with the idea at the time but wanted to make sure the county had enough law enforcement to support it. “I thought that was not an unreasonable request,” Berger said.

“Next thing I heard from him, I understood he was going to rallies in opposition to it,” Berger said. “To me, that just speaks volumes about the person that we’re dealing with.”

Page said he remembers the conversation but recalls being noncommittal on the casino idea. “I never said I was OK with the issue,” he said.

Berger fights back

Berger and his allies are casting Page as someone who can’t handle more responsibility. They point to issues in the Rockingham County Detention Center, which is run by the sheriff’s office.

A dozen people have died in jail since 2021, according to the Greensboro News & Record. Some of those deaths were by suicide. The family of one of the victims sued the county, claiming deputies were informed of their son’s mental issues but failed to take the proper precautions to ensure his safety. The family agreed to drop the lawsuit after a settlement. Last year, the county’s insurer informed commissioners that they would no longer cover the Rockingham County jail — a development covered by multiple media outlets.

County officials said their insurer, Travelers Insurance, dropped their detention center from its coverage because jail staff failed to report several incidents to the company — a narrative Page disputes.

Another lawsuit alleges negligence, saying Page created a workplace that intimidated women and discouraged reporting misconduct of supervisors. The plaintiff claimed that Page didn’t take immediate action after she alleged that a deputy had engaged in sexual harassment.

Page told WRAL that, upon learning of the alleged misconduct, he suspended the employee at the center of the allegations and requested an independent investigation. “Following completion of our internal investigation, our employee’s employment was terminated,” Page said. “I do not tolerate misconduct of any kind from my staff, and I believe my actions in this matter clearly demonstrate that commitment.”

Page and the county have asked a judge to dismiss the case in a motion that in part says some of the allegations lack enough detail to provide a response. The deputy has filed a similar motion.

“Page was elected to be the Sheriff of Rockingham County,” Berger said. “That comes with certain responsibilities and and it comes with the understanding that, as [President] Harry Truman said, the buck stops with him as far as those issues go. [Page] hasn’t done his current job. So what gives you some faith that he’ll do another job with bigger responsibilities?”

Berger has also accused Page of seeking attention at the expense of Rockingham taxpayers. He cited publicized trips made by Page to the southern U.S. border and his run for lieutenant governor, which Page announced about seven months after winning another four-year term as sheriff.

“I would say that his attention to his job was diverted to salve his own ego in ways that has damaged the people of Rockingham County, in terms of the money that they’re now having to pay in order to cover the deficiencies at the jail,” Berger said.

Page said that he has visited the border as part of his efforts to get a better understanding of how drugs enter the U.S. and ultimately reach his county. He has readily advertised his trips as an effort to solve immigration, and he has provided testimony to congressional lawmakers on the topic. Page said he ran for lieutenant governor because he saw the position as an opportunity to share his law enforcement knowledge across the state.

“I wanted to take what I’ve learned and share that experience and knowledge in public safety to that position, because it had a lot to do with education and a lot of important boards,” Page said.

As for the jail deaths, Page said they had nothing to do with the conditions of his facility.

“The sad thing about jails in general is they’re just like a hospital; you’re going to have people come into your facilities that have addiction issues, medical issues and mental health issues,” Page said. “Sometimes people die. They pass away. It will — and it has — happened. But we have medical staff, we have trained staff, and we follow the law as we’re supposed to.”

He added: “We are very transparent anytime there’s an issue, particularly a serious issue.”

After the jail lost insurance coverage, Page wrote a letter to county officials that said he relies on a “risk and safety officer” to notify the insurer about incidents, adding: “In the past 25 years there has never been a direct notification request made by our insurance carrier regarding inmate death notifications,” WGHP reported and Page confirmed to WRAL.

Page told WRAL that his office deals directly with the county manager, the county attorney, and the risk manager in reporting jail deaths, adding: “None of those are sheriff’s office employees.”

Page reiterated that his deputies follow the law in reporting jail deaths. He also installed new procedures for monitoring an inmate’s physical and mental condition, and more training requirements for his staff. “We’re doing best practices, and doing what we can to make sure we reduce the chance of losing any inmates in our jail,” Page said.

Other GOP criticism

Since Page launched his campaign, Republicans outside of Rockingham County have gone to new lengths to express their displeasure with Berger.

In September, Republicans in the state’s 3rd Congressional District called on the North Carolina Republican Party to disqualify Berger from receiving support from the party. The group’s resolution accuses Berger of “party disloyalty” because he endorsed a Democrat, Ed Wilson, for a Rockingham-area Superior Court judicial seat in 2022. The resolution also complains that Berger allowed bills to advance this year that would have affected the shrimping industry and closed a loophole allowing the sale of raw milk.

Michele Nix, chair of the GOP’s 3rd Congressional District committee, told WRAL that she considered the issue of Berger’s 2022 endorsement to be “settled” — until the shrimping and raw milk bills came up this year. The bill that would’ve imposed new regulations on shrimping upset Republicans in eastern North Carolina who wanted to hold Berger accountable in some way.

“So the recourse is to look at past records and say, ‘Well, you endorsed a Democrat over a Republican.’ So that’s something that we can hold them accountable for,” Nix said.

She continued: “We’re out to hold him accountable for the actions that have hurt the Republican Party. You’ve got a lot of people out here who are volunteers. They’re giving their time, talent and effort to help get Republicans elected. And you’ve got the state senator who is the Senate Pro Tem out here, undermining that.”

Berger says he endorsed Wilson over Republican John Morris, who ultimately won the seat, because he knew Wilson and didn’t think Morris was qualified.

“There are things that [I] disagree with him on, and I’ve seen some decisions he’s made that I would disagree with,” said Berger, who is a lawyer with a firm in Eden. “But the basic things you want a judge to do as far as handling criminal cases, the basic things you want a judge to do as far as administration of the docket in court, those sorts of things he did in a way that I thought was acceptable and in many respects commendable. The individual that was running as a Republican was someone that I deemed wholly unqualified to be a judge.”

Reprimands of elected officials are typically done by party members in their home county. Parnell, the Rockingham GOP chairwoman, said her party’s top officials didn’t see an issue with Berger’s endorsement.

Parnell said she knows many Republicans who supported Wilson. She pointed out that in 2023 legislators voted unanimously to confirm Wilson as a Superior Court judge, following then-Gov. Roy Cooper’s nomination.

“Are you going to sanction those people, too?” Parnell said of the Republicans who accused Berger of party disloyalty. “They are stepping somewhere they have no business stepping.”

As for the bills aiming to regulate shrimping and raw milk sales, which ultimately died: Berger said they were sought by his caucus, and not pushed by him.

“North Carolina is the only state on the East Coast that allows inshore net fishing for shrimp. Every other state is banded because it damages the other species,” Berger said. “And so that issue has been out there for a long time, and this year we had a couple of members who wanted to move forward with it. And so they did.”

Rockingham affecting Raleigh?

Some political observers have accused Berger of legislating with the primary in mind, a claim Berger denies. Republicans in the state Senate and state House of Representatives are at odds over several issues. For instance, the chambers haven’t passed a comprehensive budget for the current fiscal year partly because they disagree over the future of the state’s tax codes. House Republicans want to modify triggers in state law that would allow the state’s tax rates to continue falling over the years, citing the potential for a deficit. Berger opposes that idea.

“We have said — and I fully support this position, and my members support this position — that the triggers were agreed to, the triggers are reasonable, and that changing the triggers is tantamount to increasing taxes,” Berger said.

Page told WRAL he thinks the House has a better plan than the Senate. He doesn’t want North Carolina to ever have to depend on new sources of revenue — such as taxes from casinos — to balance the state budget.

Berger received attention last month as he led the state’s efforts to redraw North Carolina’s congressional districts to give Republicans more of an advantage in next year’s midterm elections. The GOP already controls 10 of North Carolina’s 14 seats. The new election map will help Republicans win an additional seat. Berger helped lead the charge on the effort, saying it was his party’s duty to use state law to give Republicans more power in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the party holds a narrow majority.

Carolina Forward, a policy group that campaigns against Republicans, alleged in September that Berger offered to launch the redraw in exchange for an endorsement in the primary — something Berger denied. The group cited a single unnamed source, and said it was “just a rumor.” Berger said he has never spoken to Trump about redistricting or a potential endorsement.

Earlier this year, Berger supported a bill which, if the legislature overrides Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto, would allow North Carolinians over the age of 18 to carry guns without a concealed carry permit. When a similar bill was introduced in 2023, Berger questioned the need for it and it never became law.

Andy Stevens, a gun rights activist, said he thinks Berger supported this year’s bill in anticipation of attacks from Page, who has supported similar ideas for years. “He obviously wants to cut out any points of difference between himself and Sam,” Stevens said.

Berger said Page had nothing to do with this year’s advancement of the “constitutional carry” legislation. In 2023, Republican legislators prioritized a bill that ultimately scrapped a state law requiring North Carolinians buying a handgun to first get a permit from their local sheriff. That was the priority, Berger said, and it was clear at the time that constitutional carry didn’t have enough support from Republicans to override a veto from Cooper.

Berger said Senate Republicans passed the constitutional carry bill this year in response to “unfounded criticism” from 2023. Passing Senate Bill 50 “would have been done whether Page decided to run or not,” Berger said. “End of story.”