Ballotpedia, Phil Berger

Phil grew up in Danville, Virginia. He has a bachelors degree in sociology from Averett University and has a law degree from Wake Forest University. Phil and his wife Pat live in Eden and have three children.

Phil runs the Berger Law Firm in Eden. Previously, he practiced in Charlotte and Raleigh. Before attended law school, he worked in a local factory and as a produce manager of a grocery store.

Philip (Phil) Berger is serving as a State Senator for State Senate District 26. He served from 2000-2014, 2016-2018, and 2022-2024, and is serving his ninth term. He previously served two terms as a State Senator for State Senate District 30 from 2018-2022. He served as minority leader of the Senate starting in 2004 and became President Pro Tempore in 2010.

Candidate website

Believes in reducing government regulation to boost the private economy and cutting taxes for families and businesses. As Senate leader, passed regulatory reform bills, balanced state budgets, and supported clean energy exploration.

Believes in reducing government regulation to boost the private economy and cutting taxes for families and businesses. 

Believes in reducing government intervention to boost creativity, productivity, and entrepreneurship. As a State Senator, worked to "get government off the backs of job-creating businesses."

Believes in reducing government intervention to boost creativity, productivity, and entrepreneurship. 

- Believes in reducing government regulation to boost the private economy and cutting taxes for families and businesses. 
- Believes in reducing government intervention to boost creativity, productivity, and entrepreneurship. 

Economy

As of June 14, 2024, Philip (Phil) Berger’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Energy & the Environment

Believes in protecting the unborn and religious freedom. Opposes abortion and supports the rights of government officials to opt out of duties conflicting with their beliefs.

Healthcare

Believes more than two-thirds of North Carolinians support requiring voter ID to prevent fraud and ensure fair elections. Supports a constitutional amendment for voter ID at the polls starting in 2020.

Voting & Elections

Facebook

North Carolina General Assembly, HB 10

Supports forcing all state sheriffs to cooperate with the Immigration Enforcement Service (ICE).

- Opposes gun control.
- Supports forcing all state sheriffs to cooperate with the Immigration Enforcement Service (ICE).

Public Safety

As a State Senator, supported opportunity scholarships for disabled students and those in failing schools, increased classroom funding, lifted the cap on public charter schools, and implemented an A-F scale for evaluating public schools.

Supports opportunity scholarships for disabled students and those in failing schools, increased classroom funding, lifting the cap on public charter schools, and the A-F scale for evaluating public schools.

Supports proven school reforms, including teacher pay raises, performance pay for top educators, and ensuring early reading proficiency.

Supports teacher pay raises, performance pay for top educators, and ensuring early reading proficiency.

- Supports opportunity scholarships for disabled students and those in failing schools, increased classroom funding, lifting the cap on public charter schools, and the A-F scale for evaluating public schools.
- Supports teacher pay raises, performance pay for top educators, and ensuring early reading proficiency.

Education

Foreign Policy and Immigration

LinkedIn

Twitter

Instagram

Philip (Phil) Berger

As Senate President Pro Tempore, balanced the state budget without raising taxes, turning a $2.5 billion deficit into a surplus. Believes in maintaining fiscal responsibility without increasing taxes on families or businesses.

Believes citizens and job creators can manage their money better than the government. As a State Senator, led the largest tax cut and reform since the 1930s.

Believes economic policies since January 2011 have significantly reduced North Carolina’s unemployment rate and created over 600,000 new jobs.

Believes Gov. Cooper's economic policies harm small businesses by treating bars and restaurants differently. Said, "Gov. Cooper needs to release the science behind these apparent contradictions."

Believes the state’s $5 billion deficit could have been mitigated if Cooper and Democrats had not blocked pay raises when funds were available.

Believes North Carolina's government became "more efficient and productive" after stopping "runaway spending" in 2011.

The candidate's website says, "The changes come on the heels of an audit from the State Auditor’s Office that found the department exceeded its budget by $742 million in fiscal year 2019. The audit also determined that when the 14 highway divisions were short on cash they were allowed to borrow against the next year’s budget, meaning the divisions would begin the next fiscal year without a balanced budget."

The candidate's website says, "Senate Votes Unanimously To Increase Financial Oversight Of NCDOT"

Believes that taking $150 million from the reserve would harm the state's ability to provide care. Criticizes Democrats for "feigned interest" in Medicaid care to support Gov. Cooper’s "all-or-nothing Medicaid expansion fantasy."

As a State Senator, voted to increase Medicaid funding by $463 million to ensure access to care for vulnerable patients.

The candidate's website says, "Transformation will include a groundbreaking program that will screen patients to determine if they need to be connected to other programs that focus on food security, housing, transportation, employment, and interpersonal safety. This is a holistic program to treat not only a person’s health but also other social and environmental factors. Gov. Cooper is undermining his own appointed secretary by not allowing her to oversee this program."

Believes Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the state budget and House Bill 555 has stalled Medicaid transformation efforts. Said Cooper’s “unwillingness to compromise” has derailed progress and endangered patients.

Supports allowing one immediate family member or designated health care agent to visit hospitalized patients, including minors and those with developmental disabilities.

Believes in transforming Medicaid to managed care for better budget predictability and improved patient outcomes. Supports additional funding for Medicaid transformation, as requested by Secretary Cohen.

Believes in allowing one hospital visitor per patient to ensure no one dies alone. Supports measures to improve patient care and emotional support during critical times.

The candidate's website says, "Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Senate today passed the No Patient Left Alone Act, which allows hospitalized patients to designate one visitor who would be permitted access to their room in accordance with a hospital’s visitation rules and limitations."

Believes in protecting patient rights, as demonstrated by supporting the No Patient Left Alone Act. As a State Senator, passed legislation ensuring no patient dies alone in hospitals.

Believes in the importance of investigating absentee ballot irregularities. Supports establishing an independent, bipartisan task force to address these issues.

Believes the Democratic-run Board of Elections should not oversee investigations into voter fraud. Supports a bipartisan task force for conducting legitimate probes.

Believes in ensuring election integrity and addressing absentee ballot irregularities. As a State Senator, highlighted statistical anomalies in absentee-by-mail votes in Bladen County during the 2018 election.

Believes there is "widespread and long-standing absentee ballot fraud" in Bladen County. Said complaints about 2010 election irregularities were never investigated.

Believes North Carolina should implement voter ID laws, noting that the United States Supreme Court upheld voter ID in 2008.

Believes in strong voter ID laws. Cites a Gallup Poll showing "80 percent of registered U.S. voters support voter ID" in August 2016.

Believes in the importance of investigating absentee ballot issues. Supports establishing an independent, bipartisan task force to ensure election integrity.

The candidate's website says, "Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice recently issued large-scale subpoenas into North Carolina voting records. Democratic elected officials and members of the Board of Elections fought the subpoenas."

The candidate's website says, "Breaking news stories have pointed to the Bladen County Improvement Association’s continued involvement in the 2018 elections."

Believes judges should have discretion over sentencing, opposing mandatory minimums. Supports rehabilitation for nonviolent offenders, particularly drug users, over harsher penalties.

Believes that "violent mobs won’t heal" racial injustice and supports reestablishing the rule of law to address public safety issues.

As Attorney General, Cooper sponsored and enacted a law reducing the marijuana possession threshold for trafficking charges by 80%.

Believes mandatory minimums distort the justice system by removing judicial discretion and giving excessive power to prosecutors. Supports criminal justice reform to address these issues.

The candidate's website says, "According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, “the [sentencing] gap between African American offenders and other groups began to widen” in the “period during which large groups of offenders became subject to mandatory minimum drug sentences.”"

Supports giving judges flexibility to impose sentences below mandatory minimums.

Believes mandatory minimums contribute to mass incarceration. Said, "mandatory minimums like those imposed by Roy Cooper 'caused an imbalance in the courtroom that has helped drive mass incarceration.'"

Believes mandatory minimums contribute to mass incarceration. 

Supports criminal justice reform, as evidenced by the passage of the First Step Act and the Second Chance Act in the North Carolina Senate.

Believes in providing judges with flexibility to ignore mandatory minimum sentences. Said, "The First Step Act, inspired by legislation of the same name supported and signed into law by President Donald Trump," allows this flexibility.

The candidate's website says, "Senate Passes Trump-Inspired Bill To Roll Back Cooper-Sponsored Mandatory Minimum Laws"

Believes teachers should receive pay raises without political interference. Said, "Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative Democrats blocked them last year with cover from the far-left NCAE."

Believes a top-notch education begins with high-quality teachers. As a State Senator, helped secure an average 19% pay raise for North Carolina’s public school teachers.

Supports equal distribution of bonuses to teachers due to insufficient data from a shortened school year.

Opposes teacher pay raises proposed by the legislature over the past decade.

Believes in the value of a good education and prioritizes improving public schools, ensuring better classroom results, and creating opportunities for hardworking students.

Believes Democrats opposed a 4.9% teacher pay raise and $1,000 bonus due to their "Medicaid expansion-or-nothing ultimatum."

Believes in the value of education and prioritizes improving public schools, ensuring better classroom results, and creating opportunities for hardworking students.

The candidate's website says, "Senate Passes Teacher Bonuses"

Philip E. (Phil) Berger grew up in a working-class family in Danville, Virginia, and became the first in his family to graduate from what is now Averett University. He later attended law school at Wake Forest University. Phil is married to his high school sweetheart, Pat, and together they have three children, Phil Jr., Kevin, and Ashley, and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Eden.

Phil Berger worked in a local factory and as a produce manager of a grocery store before attending law school at Wake Forest. After graduating, he practiced law briefly in Charlotte and Raleigh. He eventually settled in Eden, where he runs the Berger Law Firm.

Phil Berger was first elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2000. He served as minority leader starting in 2004 and became President Pro Tempore in 2010 after Republicans gained a majority in the Senate.

Philip E. (Phil) Berger

- Your State Senator participates in the legislative process at the state level. They are one of 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. The North Carolina Senate is the upper house of the North Carolina General Assembly (the state's lawmaking body).
- Your State Senator drafts laws, approves budgets, has oversight of the state executive branch, and debates and votes on proposed laws.
- In addition to drafting and voting on bills, your State Senator can serve on committees. This is important because many bills can be stalled in committee, preventing them making it to a vote.
- Your State Senator is responsible for representing your interests. They also are responsible for helping you navigate the state's services and bringing back resources to your district.
- The State Senator is elected to a 2-year term. There is no term limit.