Does Pat McCrory have thoughts on Phil Berger’s loss? Oh yes, he does. | Opinion
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Of all the North Carolina governors who’ve had bad feelings about Senate leader Phil Berger through the years, Republican Pat McCrory has reason to loathe him the most.
McCrory was elected governor in 2012 as a moderate conservative and successful Charlotte mayor who had a history of bridging political divides. At least some voters — and a Charlotte newspaper editorial board! — believed he was the right leader to find the seam between the state’s progressive cities and burgeoning conservative Republican majority.
Berger had other ideas. He, along with then-House Speaker Thom Tillis, decided the governor had too much power whether he was a Republican or not, and they went to work on weakening McCrory. Berger and GOP lawmakers also rammed through extreme legislation that the governor feebly supported, including the infamous HB2 “Bathroom Bill” that McCrory later said he had reservations about, but for which he took much of the blame.
Democratic governors before and since have fought with Berger, sometimes fiercely, but they had no expectation the relationship would be anything but adversarial. McCrory was steamrolled, even dismissed, by the Republicans he was supposed to work with. Voters didn’t give him a second chance.
So it should be no surprise that as Berger teeters on the edge of a stunning primary loss to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, McCrory has some thoughts. In a recent episode of Unspun, the show McCrory now hosts on PBS Charlotte, McCrory wasted no time engaging in a bit of Republican-on-Republican violence.
“Berger spent more than $10 million. That’s right, $10 million on a state Senate race,” McCrory said. “That’s unprecedented.”
And: “So where did the money come from? Well, from many of the special interest groups, corporations and political action committees that have benefited from his leadership while serving as President Pro Tem of the North Carolina Senate.”
And, in case you think this wasn’t personal: “For the last 14 years, Phil Berger has been one of the most dominant figures in state politics. He often got his way regardless of what the governor wanted, me included.”
McCrory goes on to recall how “around Raleigh, lobbyists used to say there was one simple rule. If you wanted to get something done, you wanted Phil Berger on your side. And that often meant donating and hiring former Berger staff members as consultants or lobbyists.”
All of which is true, which is why a Berger loss would be celebrated not only by Democrats, but by Republicans who’ve grumbled for years about the centralization of power in Raleigh. A Berger defeat would create a vacuum, for sure, but it’s an opportunity for Republicans, and one they never expected.
“The voters, not the money, decided this race,” McCrory says. “And in modern politics, where big power, big endorsements, and big money often win, well, that’s a very rare feat.”
And for at least one former governor, a sweet one.
Peter St. Onge is opinion editor of the Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh and the Durham Herald Sun.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 5:05 AM.
