{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Sam Page","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Samuel \"Sam\" Page is the elected Sheriff of Rockingham County, North Carolina, a position he has held since 1998 and will occupy through December\u202f31,\u202f2026\u202f[3]. In 2026 he is the Republican nominee for the North Carolina State Senate, District\u202f26, after defeating longtime Senate President Pro Tempore Phil\u202fBerger in the March\u202f3 primary and advancing to the November\u202f3 general election against Democrat Steve Luking\u202f[1][4][9][15].\n\nPage grew up in Reidsville, graduating from Reidsville High School in 1975\u202f[1]. He immediately entered the U.S. Air Force, serving five years (1975\u20111980) as a security\u2011forces K\u20119 handler\u202f[1]. After his military service he began a career in law\u2011enforcement, working as a patrolman, criminal investigator and administrator before running for sheriff\u202f[1].\n\nAs Rockingham County sheriff, Page has overseen the department for more than two decades, earning the presidency of the North Carolina Sheriffs Association and leading the \u201cSheriffs for Trump\u201d coalition in 2016\u202f[8]. He also served as President Donald Trump\u2019s North Carolina campaign chair in 2020\u202f[8]. Page gained statewide attention for opposing a 2023 casino\u2011expansion proposal championed by Berger, arguing the project conflicted with the district\u2019s conservative, faith\u2011based values\u202f[4][12][14].\n\nPage\u2019s campaign platform emphasizes a \u201ctough\u2011on\u2011crime\u201d agenda: reinstating the death penalty, strengthening penalties for violent offenders, and providing law\u2011enforcement and prosecutors with additional tools\u202f[8]. On education, he proposes raising the starting salary for teachers to $50,000, expanding incentives to retain educators, and implementing \u201csmart, accountable\u201d school\u2011choice policies with safeguards\u202f[8]. He also backs repealing the public\u2011records exemption passed by Berger, instituting term limits for legislative leadership, and cutting taxes on overtime and tipped wages\u202f[8].\n\nIn the primary, Page\u2019s narrow victory\u2014initially reported as a two\u2011vote margin and later certified at a 23\u2011vote lead after canvassing\u2014represented a seismic shift in North Carolina politics, unseating the state\u2019s most powerful Republican legislator\u202f[1][4][9][12][15][16][17][18]. Despite being outspent by Berger by more than 50\u2011to\u20111, Page\u2019s grassroots support and local reputation helped secure the win\u202f[14]. He has pledged to focus on the needs of Guilford and Rockingham counties in the upcoming general election\u202f[1][18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Sam Page (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Sam_Page_(North_Carolina))\n- [3] [Samuel \"Sam\" Page | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/sam-page)\n- [4] [Republican Phil Berger, one of North Carolina\u2019s most powerful politicians, concedes state Senate primary to Sam Page | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/politics/phil-berger-sam-page-north-carolina-senate)\n- [8] [Sam Page - N.C. Senate](https://www.sampagenc.com/)\n- [9] [Sam Page certified winner of NC senate primary by 23 votes; Berger hints at recount | wfmynews2.com](https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/politics/sam-page-certified-winner-of-nc-senate-gop-primary-by-23-votes-berger-may-seek-recount/83-eb2f37e1-3f26-4ce9-b2d3-c01054305fda)\n- [10] [Sam Page continues to lead Phil Berger by 23 votes after county canvass](https://www.wxii12.com/article/sam-page-continues-lead-phil-berger-23-votes-after-county-canvass/70737616)\n- [12] [Sheriff Sam Page leads Senate Leader Berger in GOP primary by two votes | WUNC News](https://www.wunc.org/elections/2026-03-03/sheriff-sam-page-defeats-senate-leader-berger-in-gop-primary-by-two-votes)\n- [14] [Senate Leader Phil Berger concedes GOP primary race to Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham](https://abc11.com/post/senate-leader-phil-berger-concedes-gop-primary-race-rockingham-sheriff-sam-page/18764065/)\n- [15] [Just 2 votes separate Sam Page and Phil Berger in race for NC Senate District 26 | Recount possible | wfmynews2.com](https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/politics/elections/just-2-votes-separate-sam-page-phil-berger-race-nc-senate-district-26-recount-expected/83-503d8327-4864-4f7e-a8b6-e5ebf9d6f2f1)\n- [16] [23 votes. Canvass confirms narrow Page edge over Berger. Recount likely.](https://carolinapublicpress.org/74841/23-votes-canvass-confirms-narrow-page-edge-over-berger-recount-likely/)\n- [17] ['Most powerful' N.C. state senator trails primary challenger by 2 votes despite Trump's endorsement](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/north-carolina-senate-primary-phil-berger-sam-page-trump-rcna261650)\n- [18] [Page\u2019s lead widens in race to unseat NC Senate\u2019s top Republican :: WRAL.com](https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/sam-page-lead-widens-unseat-phil-berger-rockingham-nc-26th-senate-primary-march-2026/)","firstname":"Samuel","lastname":"Page","middlename":"Scott","suffix":null,"token":"21fd87f9909b983c"},"token":"dDlr-6VKpzWJmOV_"},{"candidatename":"Philip E. (Phil) Berger","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nPhilip Edward Berger served as President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina State Senate from January 2011 through 2026, representing District 26 (Guilford and Rockingham counties). In 2026, he ran for re-election in the Republican primary but narrowly lost to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by 23 votes after a full machine recount. Berger conceded on March 24, 2026, ending a career spanning more than a quarter-century in the state legislature.\n\n## Background and education\n\nBerger was born on August 8, 1952, in New Rochelle, New York, and grew up in Danville, Virginia, where he graduated from George Washington High School in 1970. He attended Danville Community College and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Averett College in 1980. He earned his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1982.\n\n## Career\n\nAfter law school, Berger clerked for a year at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, then joined an Eden law firm in 1984. In 2001, he co-founded the Berger Law Firm with his two sons. He was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2000, and became President Pro Tempore when Republicans took control of the Senate for the first time in 140 years in 2011.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Phil Berger (politician) \u2013 Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Berger_(politician))\n- [2] [Senator Phil Berger Biography \u2013 NC General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/64)\n- [3] [Phil Berger concedes NC Senate primary \u2013 CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/politics/phil-berger-sam-page-north-carolina-senate)","firstname":"Philip","lastname":"Berger","middlename":"Edward","suffix":null,"token":"72373615b4d42e54"},"token":"CTlEYqiER6fuRSJ2"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 26"}