State Senate leader Phil Berger got the most sought-after endorsement any Republican could hope for this week: President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that he was backing Berger’s reelection bid amid a primary challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
“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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Therefore, Phil Berger has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Page had already filed the paperwork to run. Candidates have until December 16 to withdraw from the race. But Page didn’t blink, vowing to press forward with his primary campaign.
“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 wrote on X. “I will defeat Phil Berger on March 3.”
Trump’s endorsement comes less than two months after Berger pushed to redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that is likely to net Republicans an additional seat in 2026. CBS17 reported that Trump would endorse him in exchange for the new map, which Democrats in the state shared widely; Berger denied any quid pro quo.
“The president called to commend Senate Republicans’ work supporting his America First agenda at the state level—and I’m very grateful to have his full support as we pursue more conservative victories,” Berger said in a statement on Wednesday.
Berger’s allies are hoping the Trump endorsement will be the nail in the coffin for Page’s political aspirations.
North Carolina candidates who have received Trump’s backing often have come out on top in contentious GOP primaries, including U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, who was distantly trailing former Gov. Pat McCrory when Trump endorsed him, and U.S. Rep. Addison McDowell, who was a little-known lobbyist heading into the 2024 election against a more established field that included former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker.
Jonathan Felts, a GOP consultant and top adviser to Budd and McDowell who said he isn’t involved in the Berger-Page primary, said he sees the Trump endorsement as a game-changer.
“I am old enough to remember when McCrory, Walker, and similarly-minded-folks would plead the case that the Trump endorsement doesn’t matter,” Felts said. “Sam Page is dust in the wind.”