A North Carolina political race that has been brewing for years became official Monday, with Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page filing to run against Senate Leader Phil Berger in the Republican primary in the district that includes Rockingham and part of Guilford.
Candidate filing started Monday. When it ends at noon on Dec. 19, it’ll be clear where primary elections will be and who will glide into office unopposed next year.
The conflict between Berger and Page burst into public view with Berger’s support in 2023 for expanding casino gambling in the state — and building one in Rockingham County. Berger has since called that proposal dead, but that hasn’t dulled the sharp accusations the two campaigns have traded this year.
Berger was elected to the state Senate in 2000. He is in his eighth term as Senate leader — formally Senate president pro tem — and is one of the most powerful politicians in the state. No other candidates had filed to run in Senate District 26 by Monday afternoon.
A Democratic primary that produced one of the closest results in the state in 2024 is headed for a rematch. Longtime former Rep. Michael Wray is challenging the current occupant of the NC House District 27 seat, freshman Rep. Rodney Pierce. In 2024, Pierce defeated Wray in the district that includes Halifax, Warren, and Northampton counties by 34 votes, or less than a percentage point. Pierce went on to run unopposed in the general election.
In Guilford County, Angie Williams-McMichael of High Point is running against Rep. Amanda Cook in the Democratic primary in House District 50. Cook was appointed to the seat a few weeks ago to replace former House member Cecil Brockman. Brockman resigned after being charged with sex crimes involving a minor, charges he has denied..
Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort), one of the most conservative members of the state House, has drawn a primary challenge from Darren Armstrong of Belhaven in House District 79.
Who will run in the new 1st Congressional District? Davis, Hanig are in
Republicans are aiming to turn the northwest 1st U.S. House District red in 2026, thanks to a new congressional map approved by the legislature and upheld by a federal court.
Which Republican will vie for that seat? That remains to be seen.
Its current occupant, Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, said Monday he would run in the redrawn district despite new boundaries that strongly favor a Republican. Davis no longer lives in the district — he was drawn out of it by Republican map-makers and now resides in the neighboring 3rd district. But members of Congress are not required to live in a district to represent it.
“Many feel Washington, D.C. isn’t serving their needs, and the redistricting battle clearly proves it,” Davis wrote on social media Monday.
On the other side of the aisle, a contested primary is likely. Just one candidate has filed for the seat as of Monday: state Sen. Bobby Hanig, a Republican who has emerged as a rare dissenting GOP voice in the Senate on issues like a ban on shrimp trawling.
“I’ve always been very vocal when it comes to people coming after folks in my district,” Hanig told reporters. “People bring me to Raleigh to defend them and make sure that we’re taking care of them.”
Will President Donald Trump weigh in on the GOP primary? “We’ll see,” said U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, who heads the national campaign arm to elect House Republicans.
“We’ll stay in contact as candidates emerge in the 1st district, and we’ll see,” he said. “He may decide not to endorse, he may endorse.”
Hudson has also drawn an early official opponent — Democrat Nigel Bristow, who serves as chief probation and patrol officer in Anson County, filed for the 9th district on Monday. He ran against Hudson and lost in 2024.
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