GOP Senator Now Denies Allegations to Rig Next Congressional Race • Franknez.com

A heated primary battle in North Carolina’s state Senate has exploded into a full-blown scandal, with accusations flying that veteran Republican Phil Berger struck a backroom bargain with President Donald Trump to redraw congressional maps in exchange for a coveted endorsement.

Berger, the powerful Senate President Pro Tempore facing his toughest reelection challenge in decades, is firing back hard, insisting no such deal exists and that the gerrymandering push is purely about safeguarding the GOP’s fragile House majority.

The controversy erupted Thursday when Berger threw his weight behind a plan to overhaul North Carolina’s congressional districts—a move timed suspiciously close to rumors of an imminent Trump nod in his race against Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, a fellow MAGA hardliner.

Page, who’s positioned himself as an immigration hawk and Trump loyalist, didn’t waste time calling foul.

Details of the Matter

In a fiery Facebook post, he accused Berger’s camp of strong-arming the president: “I’ve been hearing for a little while now that Phil Berger’s team has been puffing out their chests and bragging that they have President Donald J. Trump over a barrel—because if he wants those maps redrawn, he’s going to have to endorse Phil Berger.”

Page, who’s been pounding the pavement since announcing his bid earlier this year, ramped up the rhetoric: “I say, if President Trump wants those maps redrawn, that SHOULD come with no strings attached—but I guess Phil Berger doesn’t think so.

Let me be clear—our Commander in Chief doesn’t owe Phil Berger a damn thing!”

The sheriff’s outburst tapped into a broader GOP frustration over Berger’s iron grip on state politics.

A fixture in Raleigh since 2001, Berger has steered North Carolina through waves of redistricting battles, drawing four congressional maps in the last six years amid relentless court fights.

This latest proposal aims to flip Democratic Rep. Don Davis’s seat, bolstering Republicans’ slim 219-214 House edge ahead of midterms.

Voter-Suppression Playbook?

But critics, including Democrats, see it as the latest chapter in a voter-suppression playbook.

Rep. Deborah Ross, a North Carolina Democrat whose own district could feel the ripple effects, blasted the maneuver as “blatant, unapologetic corruption.”

In a pointed statement, she wrote: “If reports are true, North Carolina Republicans have truly stooped to a new low.

Accepting a political endorsement in exchange for engaging in partisan gerrymandering is nothing less than blatant, unapologetic corruption.

North Carolina Republicans have already rigged our maps in their favor, but they are now planning to go even further simply to appease Donald Trump.”

Ross connected the dots to a national trend, stating, “From Texas to Missouri and now North Carolina, Republicans are waging a war on American voting rights because they know the truth – their policies are unpopular, their candidates are unlikable, and they can’t win a majority in Congress without stacking the deck in their favor.

We will fight these corrupt redistricting plans in every single state.

We will fight for our democracy and for American voters who are tired of corrupt leaders silencing their voices.”

Berger, for his part, has been adamant in rejecting the quid pro quo narrative.

In a series of X posts Thursday, he framed the redistricting effort as defensive strategy, not a Trump favor.

“I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress,” he wrote.

“We have drawn four Congressional maps in the last six years in redistricting fights with Democrats who keep running to activist judges to get their way.

We won’t let them do it again.”

His team has stonewalled questions about any direct outreach to the White House, with a spokesperson telling reporters: “Senator Berger supports fair redistricting to protect North Carolina’s voice in Congress.

There’s no deal, no endorsement talk—period.”

A Heated Battle

Trump’s camp hasn’t confirmed or denied involvement, but the timing has tongues wagging in Raleigh’s GOP circles, where Berger’s long shadow has bred resentment among upstarts like Page.

This isn’t Berger’s first dance with controversy.

Back in 2016, he was front and center in the HB2 “bathroom bill” debacle that cost the state billions in business and tourism.

Now, with Page hammering him on immigration and Trump loyalty, the primary could turn ugly fast.

Page, a decorated veteran who’s made border security his calling card, has painted Berger as an establishment dinosaur out of touch with the base.

As North Carolina’s maps head to the courts—again—the stakes couldn’t be higher.

A successful redraw could lock in GOP gains for a decade, but if the deal rumors stick, it risks alienating Trump die-hards who see it as elite gamesmanship.

For Berger, it’s a high-wire act: Keep the White House sweet without looking like he’s selling out the faithful.

In a state that’s flipped purple in recent cycles, one wrong step could hand Democrats a lifeline come November.

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