Potential Berger challenger will instead run for NC lieutenant governor
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Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Photo: Rockingham County
Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, who was considering a run for state Senate against North Carolina's most powerful Republican, has filed to run for lieutenant governor instead.
Driving the news: Page initially announced in May his plans to run for lieutenant governor, but his official filing Thursday afternoon puts to rest recent speculation that he would challenge fellow Senate leader Phil Berger in the March primary.
- "I know Sheriff Page had a lot of people encouraging him to consider jumping into the senate race against Sen. Berger, but in the end I never doubted that he would stay the course," Page adviser Charles Hellwig tells Axios.
- "I've heard him say the reasons he wanted to run for [lieutenant governor] repeatedly and it just makes sense for him with his record to be our nominee."
The big picture: The potential of a challenge to Berger comes on the heels of his push to legalize non-tribal casinos — including one in his district — earlier this year. That move generated significant bipartisan opposition, holding up the passage of the state budget and, by extension, the implementation of Medicaid expansion.
- Page repeatedly spoke out against bringing a casino to Rockingham County.
What we're watching: The filing deadline isn't until Friday at noon, so another candidate still has time to launch a bid to challenge Berger.
Catch up quick: A poll released just before Thanksgiving showed Page a whopping 30 points ahead of Berger in a head-to-head primary matchup in the race for a Senate district that includes Rockingham County.
- Page, who announced in May that he planned to run for lieutenant governor, told the News & Observer after the poll was published that he had "a lot to think about."
Few details were known about the poll released before Thanksgiving, or who has been funding the broader effort to oust Berger.
- The pollster was unnamed in a memo released on the poll, and the group that reportedly commissioned it, the North Carolina Conservative Project, does not appear to be registered with any of the government agencies it may be required to report to.
- The North Carolina Conservative Project did not show up in any of the following government databases: the North Carolina Secretary of State, where businesses must register; the IRS, where registered tax-exempt entities can be searched by name; or the North Carolina State Board of Elections, where its expenses would be reported, depending on what kind of group it is.
The intrigue: Following Axios' report on Wednesday, political consultant Dylan Watts said that the Berger campaign would likely file a state board of elections complaint against the group and was considering filing a lawsuit.
- The campaign filed an official complaint Thursday, asking the board to investigate "unlawful activities" of the North Carolina Conservative Project and saying the board should require it to register and report its spending.