President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, one of the state’s most powerful Republicans, in a closely watched race for his Rockingham County seat.
Berger is facing a GOP challenger, Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page, in the March primary for the seat Berger has held for more than two decades. Page isn't backing down.
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In a lengthy social media post late Wednesday, Trump praised both candidates and urged Page to drop out of the race and instead work for the administration in Washington.
“State Senator Phil Berger is an America First Patriot, who is doing an incredible job representing North Carolina’s 26th Senate District!” Trump said the post on Truth Social in which he gave Berger his “complete and total endorsement.”
Trump added: “Sam Page is GREAT, he has been a longtime supporter, but I really want him to come work for us in Washington, D.C., rather than further considering a run against Phil — Both are such outstanding people!”
Shortly after, Page issued his own statement on social media. He thanked Trump for the compliment and invitation to Washington but vowed to stay in the race.
“I’m committed to upholding conservative values here in North Carolina and ending the corruption and liberal policies Phil Berger has pushed for years,” Page said in the post. “I will defeat Phil Berger on March 3.”
Page told WRAL on Thursday that he wasn’t surprised by Trump’s endorsement of Berger because he spoke with the president about it in a Dec. 1 phone call. Trump called Page that night — after Page had filed candidacy paperwork with the state — and said he supported Berger in the senate race, the sheriff said. During the call, Page said, Trump offered him a job in his administration.
“It was not a specific position,” Page said in an interview. “It was basically a high-level position in the administration.”
Tap to watch: Why President Trump is endorsing North Carolina Senator Phil Berger?
Page said he politely declined, saying he had committed to running for the seat and didn’t want to go back on his word.
“My response was: ‘I appreciate the offer and the opportunity to come and work from Washington, but I believe I can be more effective and help in a better capacity working with people directly in the district,’” Page said.
Asked about Page’s decision to stay in the race, Berger issued a statement to WRAL: “It’s telling that the President knew Sam Page previously and decided to endorse against him and encouraged him not to run.”
Berger added that “President Trump said he appreciated the work we’ve done here on our shared agenda: lowering taxes, eliminating sanctuary cities, and expanding President Trump’s universal school choice plan.” Berger thanked Trump for the endorsement in a social media post on Wednesday.
Page poses Berger's first GOP challenger in years. The endorsement — one of the few Trump has granted in a state legislative race — is the latest indicator of how seriously Republicans are taking the contest.
Trump’s endorsement came moments after WRAL reported that a top state senator tried to dissuade the sheriff from running. State Sen. Amy Galey, the GOP’s majority whip in the chamber, drove to Page’s house on Nov. 30 — the night before North Carolina opened its filing period for political candidates. When Page didn’t answer the door, Galey left him a letter asking him not to run against Berger.
Page and Berger have amped up their allegiances to Trump, hoping to attract the Republican nomination in a county where Republicans make up the biggest voting bloc.
Berger has touted his support for increased immigration enforcement, opposition to environmental regulations and “woke policies,” among others. Berger also led the state’s successful effort to redraw congressional districts to give Republicans a better chance of winning more seats in the 2026 midterm elections — a strategy pushed by Trump to help Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
On his website, Page highlights his role as a campaign chair for Trump in 2020, and he endorses Trump’s tax cuts. In his social media post Wednesday, Page underscored his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and painted Berger as weak on immigration enforcement. “I’m running for the state Senate because I’ve spent my career being tough on crime, defending conservative values, and protecting the people of this state,” Page said.
Trump didn’t elaborate on a potential job for Page in Washington. The president used a similar tactic to help his preferred candidate in a North Carolina congressional race last year. Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker ended his campaign in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District — where Trump had endorsed Addison McDowell — to instead assume the role of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
Berger has represented the area for 25 years and as Senate leader has led Republican measures to cut taxes, slash regulations and rewrite state policies to more align with the GOP’s agenda. Page, who has served as sheriff for 27 years, is campaigning on the notion that Berger has lost touch with the needs of his district.
Page has been trying to capitalize on 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.
Political analysts pointed to pro-Berger ads popping up in the district six months ahead of the March primary as a sign that the senate leader's supporters view Page as a legitimate threat. 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.
Republicans hold a veto-proof in the state Senate, which helps the GOP-controlled legislature override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Galey said in the letter that Page’s GOP primary challenge will drain resources from Berger and his supporters — leaving the party with less money to use against Democrats in the midterm elections.
“Because of the money that Phil will spend, there will not be enough money left over to keep the supermajority,” the letter says.
