A Democrat state senator has asked the Wake County District Attorney in Raleigh to investigate N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger of Rockingham County. That initial request has been rebuked.
Berger denied media reports last week that he agreed to redraw the state’s U.S. House map in exchange for an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Sen. Terence Everitt, D-Wake, sent a letter on Friday to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman requesting that she open a preliminary review into the potential exchange. Everitt acknowledges in the letter that his accusations are based on news coverage and social media posts involving Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Battle in Rockingham County
Page is challenging Berger in the 2026 Republican primary for the District 26 seat in the state senate, which includes all of Rockingham County and a large section of Guilford County.
Political analysts have speculated about whether state Republican legislative leadership would redraw the current congressional map to give Republicans a potential 11 seats out of 14 in North Carolina.
The additional seat could serve as a key buffer against Democrats regaining control of the U.S. House in the 2026 election. A possible targeted seat currently is filled by Democrat Don Davis in the 1st District.
“I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with (Gov.) Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress,” Berger, R-Rockingham, said in a Thursday post on X.
“We have drawn four congressional maps in the last six years in redistricting fights with Democrats because of their sue-until-blue strategy. If we have to draw one more map this year, we will.
“That said, I’ve never spoken to President Trump about this or an endorsement. The Democrats are spreading lies to hurt President Trump.”
Everitt said that if the media reports and social media posts are accurate, they would represent a violation of North Carolina criminal statutes or election laws, such as bribery, public corruption and misconduct in public office.
Everitt said, “To be clear, I am not asserting these allegations as proven facts.”
He added, “Given that congressional redistricting is a core governmental function with statewide impact, even the appearance of barter for partisan or personal gain substantially undermines public trust and warrants prompt review.”
Berger’s office could not be immediately reached for comment about Everitt’s letter.
Freeman responded Monday by saying Everitt — by referencing media reports and social media posts — has not met the criteria for proceeding with an inquiry. Freeman said she has reviewed those posts and reports.
“Prosecutorial authority should not be abused. If there is credible evidence of a quid pro quo exchange involving a public official, it is appropriate we open an investigation,” Freeman said.
“Wake County jurors rightfully expect proof. If there is someone who is the ‘unidentified source’ referenced in the initial article that wishes to come forward and be interviewed by the State Bureau of Investigation, that can be arranged.”
Meanwhile, former Democratic U.S. House member Wiley Nickel called out Freeman in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Nickel is running for Wake County District Attorney after Freeman announced in May that she would not seek another term in office.
“It’s a Class F felony for a member of the NCGA to receive ‘anything of value or personal advantage’ in exchange for performing an official act,” Nickel wrote. “I’m running for District Attorney because it’s about damn time we had someone willing to investigate political corruption in our state.”
Page accusations
Page has said in a Facebook post that he’s also heard rumors about such a deal between Berger and Trump involving a new U.S. House map and an endorsement.
Page said redrawing the map to gain an additional Republican seat should come without any strings.
The speculation has drawn responses from two Triad legislative colleagues of Berger.
Sen. Michael Garrett, D-Guilford, said Friday, “a deeply concerning rumor circulating through the corridors of our state capitol is that Senate Leader Phil Berger, in a tough race against Sheriff Sam Page, is prepared to trade redistricting concessions for a presidential endorsement from Donald Trump.”
Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, said Berger “seems quite clear that he is open to redrawing our congressional map to pick up another solid GOP seat.”
“This is wrong on many levels, especially since the seat in its current form is already subject to racial gerrymandering litigation. Redrawing it would double down on violating the Voting Rights Act.
“The very idea that it might be triggered by a potential Trump endorsement, an effective quid pro quo, is outrageous.”
National spillover
The impetus for the N.C. congressional map being redrawn again is the Texas legislature’s gerrymandering effort in August, which aims to flip up to five seats to Republicans.
Trump’s urgent request is designed to help Republicans retain a slim majority of seats in the U.S. House after the 2026 election.
The current margin is 219 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with two seats vacant.
The stakes are immense for Trump, who could see his agenda blocked in 2027 and 2028 by a Democratic-controlled U.S. House and a potential third impeachment proceeding.
At least eight other states have discussed taking similar actions, most notably California, at the request of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who is also a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
The others are blue states, including Illinois and New York, and red states, such as Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio.
Rockingham SBI investigation
Another twist in the Berger-Page campaign is that the State Bureau of Investigation has been reviewing, since July, missing campaign finance reports from at least four candidates in Rockingham.
The state Board of Elections turned over its investigation in July, which includes nearly two decades’ worth of reports involving Page.
“Having conducted interviews with current and former Rockingham County Board of Elections officials, the State Board of Elections has reached the end of its investigation into missing Rockingham County campaign finance disclosure reports,” elections spokesman Pat Gannon said in July.
“Given that the primary issue in this case involves the retention of public records by a local government unit, the SBI is better suited to further review this matter.”
Gannon referred an inquiry on Tuesday about a case update to the SBI. The SBI said Tuesday that its investigation remains under way.
The investigation began when Charlotte TV station WBTV, as part of its coverage involving Page’s challenge to Berger, contacted the Rockingham Board of Elections to locate Page’s campaign finance reports prior to 2017.
The station stated that it was informed that those records couldn’t be located.
WBTV reported that, according to state law, county boards of elections are required to retain campaign finance reports and other filings as long as the candidate holds public office. The county may then destroy those records three years after the candidate has left office and closed all their candidate committees.
Page’s campaign could not be immediately reached for comment on the SBI investigation.
rcraver@wsjournal.com
336-727-7376
@rcraverWSJ
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