Phil Berger is at the center of a Republican primary fight that is drawing what political experts describe as an unprecedented wave of spending for a legislative contest—more than $10 million in combined candidate and outside support, aimed at fending off a challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Why is Phil Berger’s primary attracting more than $10 million in spending?
Newly released fundraising reports show Phil Berger’s campaign and independent expenditure groups supporting him spent more than $8. 6 million between the start of the primary election cycle in 2025 and February 14, with another $2 million still on hand as of mid-February. Political observers expect that remaining cash will be spent by the March 3 primary, pushing total activity beyond the $10 million threshold.
The scale stands out because legislative primaries often draw roughly 20, 000 voters. For this kind of race, political experts characterize the investment as unprecedented in North Carolina. Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, described the spending as an “extreme outlier, ” adding that nothing comparable came to mind “at that level for that kind of a race. ”
The numbers also reflect reporting mechanics: political groups and candidates filed fundraising totals on February 24 covering January 1 to February 14, but State Board of Elections staff can take several days to process reports. Donations received after February 14 must be reported within 48 hours, while spending between February 14 and March 3 does not yet have to be disclosed—meaning the public view remains incomplete even as the overall trajectory points toward a record-breaking total.
Which groups are driving the biggest checks and the heaviest ad buys?
The largest share of the spending documented so far comes from NC True Conservatives, an independent expenditure group. The filings show the group spent $5. 9 million as of February 14 on Phil Berger’s race, nearly all of it on advertising. It also had $720, 000 in the bank as of mid-February and received an additional $350, 000 on February 20.
NC True Conservatives is described as being primarily funded by the national Good Government Coalition, which in turn is funded by the Republican State Leadership Committee. Phil Berger is a member of the Republican State Leadership Committee’s executive committee. The group is led by Lawrence Shaheen, identified as a longtime Berger ally.
Regulatory disclosures add another layer. Filings with the Federal Communications Commission show additional ad contracts lined up after February 14. If NC True Conservatives spent all of its cash on hand, its total spending on Berger’s race would be just shy of $7 million.
A second outside group, Citizens for NC Jobs Action PAC, is also active. It is affiliated with the NC Chamber of Commerce and formed in January. As of February 14, it had taken in $710, 000 and spent more than $333, 000 on television advertising supporting Berger.
On the candidate side, since January 2025 Phil Berger’s campaign has spent more than $2. 4 million and reported $584, 000 in available cash in mid-February.
What is still hidden from public view before March 3 (ET)—and why it matters?
Even with large figures already visible, the true scale of this contest may not be fully measurable until later filings. The current snapshot ends at February 14 for spending totals in the periodic reports, while expenditures between February 14 and March 3 do not yet have to be disclosed. At the same time, many television advertising contracts have already become public, showing how quickly campaign activity can intensify even before the complete accounting appears in election reports.
What is verifiable now is the direction and magnitude: political experts view this as a standout case for a legislative primary, and the available reports already place combined spending and cash on hand in territory typically associated with much larger-scale electoral battles. With Phil Berger facing Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, the remaining weeks before March 3 (ET) are poised to be shaped not only by candidate activity, but by the financial capacity and advertising reach of independent expenditure groups that have already spent millions.
The immediate accountability question for voters is straightforward: how this torrent of spending—led by outside organizations and amplified by advertising—interacts with an electorate that often totals roughly 20, 000 voters in a legislative primary. Phil Berger’s contest is now a test case for what modern, high-dollar political infrastructure can do in a small-electorate race, and how quickly the public can see the full financial picture once post-primary disclosures catch up.
