Republican Phil Berger, the North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem endorsed by Donald Trump, conceded Tuesday after a recount confirmed his loss to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by 23 votes in the Greensboro‑area primary. Berger praised voters and reflected on fifteen years of Republican leadership in the General Assembly. Page thanked Berger for his concession and his service. The defeat marks a rare setback for a Trump‑backed candidate and creates a power vacuum in state Republican leadership, where Berger had guided the Senate since 2005 and the party’s majority since 2011. Read on rss.politico.com