Senator Phil Berger needed two ballots out of 1,340 cast in the March 3 primary election to sway in his favor during a Tuesday recount.
He didn't get them.
That means that the effort did not trigger a full hand recount of every ballot in the Senate District 26 Republican primary. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, who was challenging Berger, led by 23 votes after absentee ballots and mail-in votes were counted.
And hours later, Berger, who has led Senate Republicans since the party took power in the chamber in 2011, conceded.
"While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory. Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state's outlook and reputation. It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation," Berger wrote in a statement.
The initial 23-vote margin was certified by the Guilford and Rockingham county boards of elections, held up through a machine recount of every ballot in the race and has now withstood the partial hand recount.
"Every vote counts, and we saw that," Page told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
Page is a seven-term sheriff of Rockingham County who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2024.
Page told reporters that Berger called him Tuesday around 4 p.m. to concede the election. Page said he was surprised at the timing of the call and that he thanked Berger for his service.
"I was concerned about, you know, pretty much how long we were going to be going with this process. But when he called me, I didn't expect it today, but I am appreciate and I thanked him for doing so," Page said.
Page said Berger had been "a gentleman" and was "very cordial" during the call.
Page overcame GOP power players
Berger had powerful backing, from lawmakers, lobbyists and even President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed Berger in December, choosing to back the Senate leader instead of Page, who had closely aligned himself with Trump's efforts in the state for more than a decade. In 2016, Page helped found the Sheriffs for Trump organization, and he chaired Trump's North Carolina campaign in 2020.
In his message endorsing Berger, Trump made clear that he also still liked Page, going as far as publicly disclosing that he'd offered Page the opportunity to take a job in the Trump Administration if he would give up the race.
Trump wrote that Berger is "an America First Patriot" and rattled off policy wins around energy, tax cuts and school choice, among others. Then, he wrote, "Sam Page is GREAT."
Berger, a high-powered Republican fundraiser, vastly outspent Page in the election, tapping into money from corporate leaders both in the state and nationally.
Ultimately, Berger's campaign spent at least $2.4 million in the race, while outside pro-Berger groups spent at least $6.7 million more. By comparison, Page raised about $81,000 while outside groups supporting him spent about $800,000 more.
"It's not all about the money raised. It's about the relationship and the trust that you build in your community," Page said.
There were four outstanding elections protests filed by Berger that were scheduled to be heard later this week in Rockingham County and on April 6 in Guilford County.
Still, those protests added up to impacting 13 potential ballots, not enough to sway the result of the primary election.
Page said that during his call with Berger on Tuesday, Berger had said he would drop those protests.
Berger also looked ahead in his statement, with the legislative short session set to begin on April 21.
"I remain committed to working with my colleagues in the short session to ensure North Carolina continues to be the best state in the nation in which to live, work, raise a family, and retire. In the months ahead, I will also do everything I can to support all Republican Senate candidates and protect our supermajority," Berger wrote.
Page will face Steve Luking, a Democrat, in November's general election.
