US EditionA North Carolina State Senate Race Is Separated by Just 2 Votes
The Republican primary in North Carolina's Senate District 26 remains undecided as provisional ballots are counted, with a two-vote margin prompting a possible recount.
- On March 4, 2026, the North Carolina Senate District 26 primary showed an almost impossible two-vote margin between Sam Page and Phil Berger.
- Berger, the long-serving Senate majority leader, leveraged his fundraising edge and President Trump's endorsement, while Page energized conservative voters with grassroots support in Rockingham County.
- As Guilford County precincts returned votes, Page declared an unofficial victory, saying 'We just won', while Berger cautioned, 'This is not over' and called the race close.
- With the margin less than 1 percent, election officials say the canvass could trigger a recount, as the race remains unresolved with provisional ballots still to be counted.
- Berger's narrow margin illustrates how political fortunes have shifted, as his near-defeat would have seemed almost unimaginable a few years ago and a single household could have changed the result.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Carolina Journal
Carolina Coast Online189 provisional ballots remain in narrow Berger–Page race
There are as many as 189 votes that could still be counted in the razor-thin state Senate race between Senate Leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Details released by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) on Wednesday indicate there are 137 provisional ballots in Rockingham County and 52 provisional ballots in the portion of Guilford County that includes Senate District 26. Unofficial election night results s…
Stunning upset: outsider sheriff to defeat powerful North Carolina GOP leader
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, one of the state's most powerful Republicans, faces a historic political collapse after trailing Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by just two votes in Tuesday's primary. Berger held enormous advantages: Trump's endorsement, millions in campaign funding, and establishment Republican backing. He has served as Senate president pro tempore since 2011. Page, raising only $45,000, ran as an anti-establishmen…
As recount looms in key NC Senate race, candidate questions Republican state auditor’s impartiality
Senate leader Phil Berger is locked in a close primary with Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page. A possible recount would be overseen by officials appointed by State Auditor Dave Boliek, who campaigned for Berger. Page wants Boliek out of the process. Boliek's office says he has no role in the count.
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