Though most of the focus on Tuesday related to the 2026 midterm elections was on the Senate primary races in North Carolina and Texas, there were some shakeups in NC legislative primaries that saw eight incumbents – three Democrats and five Republicans – lose their reelection bids well before the general election plays out in the fall.
But there is one undecided GOP primary – with a mere two votes separating the contenders – that in many ways has stunned political observers in North Carolina, one which the national media has even zeroed in on for its possible future political implications: the primary war between Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page for Senate District 26.
Berger has been serving in the NC General Assembly since 2001. In 2011, he became State Senate leader and has been called the most powerful man in state politics. He has been instrumental in many GOP legislative victories on issues like redistricting, crime, the Second Amendment, ICE cooperation, anti-DEI in public schools, increased oversight of higher education, pro-life and anti-trans causes, and neutering the power of the governor while increasing the power of the legislature – against the objections of our Democrat governors, of course.
He also had the endorsement of President Trump. So it sounds like he should have sailed through his primary with flying colors, as he has in previous election cycles, right? But Sam Page was and is a different kind of candidate, for reasons we’ll get to in just a moment.
SEE ALSO: Stage Is Set: Whatley, Cooper the Projected Winners in North Carolina Senate Primary Races
While Berger isn’t known to pull punches, neither is Page, and if there’s one public figure who is more well-known than Berger locally in the Rockingham-Guilford area (the Senate district encompasses all of Rockingham County and parts of Guilford County), it’s Page. The two “can’t stand each other,” according to some reports.
Page has been sheriff of Rockingham County since 1998 and, in many ways, is the stereotypical aw-shucksy tough-on-crime southern sheriff on whose bad side you don’t want to get. Page ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2024 and came in 5th place in the GOP primaries.
But when the Air Force veteran set his sights on the seat held by Berger, even Berger knew it was going to be a race unlike any other he’d previously faced, with some estimates indicating that upwards of between $8-10 million was spent on it, mostly from Berger and PACs who supported his campaign.
Page, on the other hand, didn’t raise much and didn’t spend much – but as the Berger campaign has documented, Page had some help from Democrats and their affiliated special interest groups who hate Berger almost as much as they hate Donald Trump, with some apparently even encouraging party members to cross over to vote for Page in the primary to oust Berger.
Though Page, a staunch proponent of border security, didn’t have Trump’s official endorsement, he had an unofficial endorsement, considering his longtime support (since 2015) of the president – which was reciprocated, with Trump even offering him a position in the administration if he dropped out of the primary race.
As it turns out, though, an unofficial endorsement of Page from Trump, plus nearly 30 years of sheriffing, combined with a controversial Berger-backed casino proposal in 2023, might have put the sheriff over the top in a race that undoubtedly will have a ripple effect on the power dynamics in the state senate should the current results hold:
Berger and Page had a significant falling out over Berger’s 2023 support for legislation that would have allowed for four additional casinos in North Carolina, including one in Rockingham County. Berger touted the project’s economic benefits, but many residents of Rockingham County — including Page — were staunchly opposed to the idea.
Big variation in the Berger-Page primary across the distrct:
-Berger performed best in the Climax/Julian area of Guilford (82% of that precinct)
-Page performed best in southern Rockingham (70+% in several precincts, including where the casino had been proposed) #ncpol #ncga— Colin Campbell (@RaleighReporter) March 5, 2026
Here is the vote count as it stands as of this writing:
WOW! With all 48 precincts reporting in District 26, @sampage4nc leads @SenatorBerger by TWO. VOTES. #ncpol @WNCN pic.twitter.com/t7Vaj6Knqq
— Deana Harley (@Deanaharleynews) March 4, 2026
Yeah. A lot of us who were watching the results come in Tuesday night were clicking that refresh button quite a bit.
As to what comes next, provisionals need to be considered, plus there are overseas and absentee ballots:
Still outstanding to be counted in NC after tonight are mail ballots needing cures and provisional ballots which will be adjudged and counted Friday afternoon. Then deadline for overseas and military ballots sent by snail mail to be received is Thurs Mar 12. Canvass Mar 13 #ncpol
— Gerry Cohen (@gercohen) March 4, 2026
Even after all of that is done, a recount will likely be requested by whoever finishes second – assuming they are still “within one percentage point of each other.” Will we see a replay of sorts of the hotly contested, prolonged legal battle that was waged over the 2024 NC Supreme Court race? Only time will tell.
As always, stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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