NC Gov. Stein is confident in election process as Berger vs. Page primary plays out
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stein expresses confidence in election accuracy amid a tight primary race.
- 2025 law gives the state auditor power to appoint majority of election board.
- Page leads Berger by 23 votes while provisional and military ballots remain.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein expressed confidence in the election system as a major primary race is yet to be decided.
Before Stein, a Democrat, took office in 2025, the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law that took some power from the governor and gave it to the state auditor. The law changed so that Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek, who also took office in 2025, now appoints the members of the State Board of Elections, and can give his political party the majority on the bipartisan board. The previous law gave that power to the governor.
Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, one of the most powerful politicians in the state, is in a tight race with primary challenger Sam Page, who is the sheriff in their home county of Rockingham. Page leads by 23 votes after provisional votes were counted, but counties have not yet completed their canvass, in which they verify and certify the totals. The district also includes parts of Guilford County.
Asked if he has confidence in how the vote counting process is playing out so far in the Berger vs. Page race, Stein told The News & Observer that “at this point, I have no reason to worry that the numbers are not accurate.”
“One great thing about our system is it has a lot of failsafe methods to ensure accuracy,” Stein said when asked during an unrelated news conference on Monday.
“The margins are very tight,” he said, adding that military ballots are still being counted ahead of the canvass.
In non-statewide races, if a losing candidate is within 1% of the winning candidate’s vote total, he or she can ask for a recount.
NC Newsline reported Monday that Boliek rebuffed Page’s request to recuse himself from any recount process, saying during a news conference that “There’s nothing to recuse myself from. ... The process did not involve the governor previously making any decisions, and it does not involve the auditor making any decisions. Those decisions are made by the appointed board.”
Boliek expressed support for Berger in his race against Page, The N&O previously reported, and campaigned with him at an early voting site in Rockingham County.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 5:12 PM.
