Berger campaign accuses Democrats of interfering in his primary
Berger campaign accuses Democrats of interfering in his primary
by Brandon Kingdollar, NC Newsline
February 13, 2026
As early voting began in the 2026 primary, the campaign of Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) bashed “Democrat-aligned dark money groups” for running ads supporting his opponent, Sheriff Sam Page.
Page, the longtime sheriff of Rockingham County, Berger’s home, is by any measure the most serious primary challenger the powerful Republican Senate leader has faced in more than 20 years. Polls have shown the two in a close race since late 2025, despite Berger’s huge money advantage and relentless negative advertising.
Berger’s campaign alleged in a press release Thursday that groups tied to Democrats have “dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars to rescue Page.” The campaign cited two groups running attack ads against Berger — N.C. Families for Prosperity and the N.C. Partnership for Good Government — that were incorporated by Chapel Hill attorney Josh Starin.
Starin, who is registered as an unaffiliated voter, did not respond to a request for comment.
Berger also slammed Democratic bloggers, campaign staff and lawmakers for weighing in on the race. He pointed to a Substack post by longtime Democratic consultant Thomas Mills on Monday noting that it would be to Democrats’ advantage in November if “some progressive dark money group should help Page.”
“If they could take out Berger, they could significantly reduce campaign funds for competitive races in the fall and face a less unified and disciplined Senate in the 2027 long session,” Mills wrote.
Berger’s campaign also cited a post by Dorian Palmer, the N.C. Democratic Party director of Coalitions and Community Engagement, calling for more money and support for Page, as well as a post on Substack from state Sen. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) in which Meyer said he is “focused on” the race this primary season.
“Sam Page is the Democrats’ candidate in the Republican primary against conservative champion Phil Berger,” campaign spokesman Michael Luethy said in a statement. “Sen. Berger has run circles around the Democrats in North Carolina for 15 years. That’s why they’re so desperately and brazenly supporting former Democrat Sam Page.”
In response, Page said in a statement that Berger is the candidate more likely to side with the Democrats.
“It is typical for dishonest people to accuse their opponents of that which they are guilty of. Phil is wrong on the issues and sides with Democrats on immigration, e-verify and HB2, among other issues,” Page said.
The attacks are the latest in an increasingly bitter contest between Berger and Page, with both alleging dirty tricks. Page said on social media on Wednesday that “Phil Berger’s dark money friends” are spreading “lies and misinformation” to tip the race in his favor. Berger accused Page and his supporters of “disgusting tactics” that same morning, posting a political cartoon that he attributed to Page depicting Berger’s children as “three little piggies.”
Meyer said in an interview that he saw the attacks as a sign of desperation.
“I thought it was hilarious,” Meyer said. “If Phil Berger thinks he can blame Democrats for him being about to lose a primary in his own district, he’s just a crybaby.”
He said he doubts the effort to tie Page to Democrats will sway voters, noting that other ads have attacked Berger as too liberal for compromising with former Gov. Roy Cooper. “Page is a Wild West Republican. He’s way more MAGA than Berger is.”
“We’re all rooting against him,” Meyer said of Berger, “but the reason he’s most likely to lose isn’t because he’s got Democrats pulling against him. It’s because he’s lost his base at home.”
Luethy, the Berger spokesman, said in a statement that Meyer’s remarks are proof of the initial claims. “Thank you for confirming that Phil Berger is the Democrats’ No. 1 target. That makes perfect sense since he’s been responsible for defeating them for 15 years and will continue to do so after March 3rd.”
In response to Berger’s criticism of Palmer’s comments, N.C. Democratic Party spokesperson Dawson McNamara-Bloom said in a statement that the Berger campaign is looking for excuses.
“Crying after the first day of early voting is certainly a confident look from Berger’s campaign,” he said. “Rather than examine his failure to serve his district and North Carolina, he’s creating a boogeyman to blame for his impending loss.”
Mills said he has not been in touch with the Page campaign and that Berger’s statement “didn’t bother me.” While he was skeptical the attacks on Page would reach undecided voters, he added, “If I were Berger, I’d do the same thing.”
“If you can make your opponent look like he’s a tool of Democrats, that’s a good thing,” Mills said. “He’s got to put money behind it, or the only people who are going to hear it are a bunch of people who have already made up their minds on the election.”
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