Tag Archives: Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page

Every Vote Counts

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On Tuesday, The Daily Haymaker reported that Phil Berger had conceded in his primary election. Sheriff Sam Page won the primary election by 23 votes.

The article notes:

…Initially, he was a good counter-weight to the  left-of-center antics of House speaker Thom Tillis and governor Pat McCrory.  However, as those two moved on — it appeared Berger started to enjoy the perks of Raleigh a wee bit too much.  Berger built a machine with tentacles extending into just about every aspect of governing.  His team — not local parties — was picking candidates to run for the General Assembly.  Money became a very important ingredient to the legislative process. Eventually, all of the legislative branch’s significant decisions were being made in and around Berger’s offices. A handful of folks were often calling the shots while everyone else sat around waiting for instructions.  (In 2024, the Berger machine managed to get two of their own folks elected to the positions of state auditor and state treasurer.)

It was Phil Berger’s world.  We were just allowed to live in it — for a price. 

There is a Democrat candidate awaiting Sam Page in November.  We hear state Democrats are dumping money on this guy, and that Roy Cooper and Josh Stein have both appeared with him for photo ops.   Perhaps they are hoping they can pull off an upset in the wake of a very turbulent GOP primary.  But the district is very, very, very Republican-leaning. 

We also hear word that a search for Berger’s replacement as senate president pro tem is underway.  Of course, that only matters if the GOP holds on to its majority.  The names we’ve heard so far:  Bill Rabon of Brunswick County, Mike Lee of New Hanover, and Todd Johnson of Union County.  In our view, all three would be more of the same. The climate of fear and intimidation needs to be lifted forever from the senate chamber and the legislative buildings.  And, of course, ditch the pay-to-play. 

As a member of the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association, I have made numerous trips to Raleigh to support various issues. Phil Berger has not represented the views of North Carolina’s voters. This is a chance to make a change. We need the Senate to elect a leader with integrity who will represent the voters in the state.

The Same Rules Should Apply To Everyone

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One of the most contested races in the North Carolina primary election this month was the Republican primary race between state Senate Leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. As of now, Sam Page has won the race by 23 votes. Phil Berger is demanding a recount (which he is entitled to). He is, however, required to play by the recount rules.

On Wednesday, The Daily Haymaker reported:

Republican state Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) was handed a setback in his election recount efforts Wednesday when the North Carolina State Board of Elections declined to take up his request for an expedited hand-eye recount of 220 ballots.

The decision comes as Berger seeks to overcome a 23-vote deficit to primary opponent Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. The request for the hand-eye examination — meaning visual review by human counters without the use of a machine — came as part of Berger’s request for a recount of the race on Tuesday, which remains ongoing.

Of the ballots Berger singled out, 217 are undervotes, in which voters appear to have not voted on a ballot item despite casting a ballot, either because they left the section blank or left an unclear marking. The other three are overvotes, ballots in which multiple candidates appear to have been selected, invalidating the vote

There is no remedy for the former if they truly are undervotes, said State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes, because the board “can’t account for something that is not there.”

Under state law, “if it is impossible to clearly determine a voter’s choice in a ballot item, the official ballot shall not be counted for that ballot item.” For ballot items where selections cannot be read by a machine, votes can only be counted if “human counters can clearly determine the voter’s choice.”

The article concludes:

Spending $12 million of other people’s money to eviscerate your opponent — and you STILL manage to lose by 23 votes. Losing your home county by 2-to-1.  (*Oh, the agony …*)

The Mustache™ is hinting that they’re planning to lawyer up and pull a Jefferson Griffin.  And why not?  It worked *so well* for the plan’s namesake.

I wonder if the party establishment will moan as loudly this time about all the damage the court fight is doing to the party?

This is something to watch carefully. Phil Berger is not going to give up his power easily.