‘Dark money’ shaped Phil Berger’s ouster from the NC Senate. Here’s what to know
Millions of dollars flowed into a single state legislative race this year as outside groups worked to support or defeat Senate leader Phil Berger, ahead of an election that ended Berger’s 25-year Senate career by fewer than two dozen votes. But much of that money moved through groups that aren’t required to disclose their donors under current North Carolina law.
FULL STORY: Who paid to help oust NC’s Phil Berger? Voters may never know. Here’s why.
Here are key takeaways:
• Berger had a massive financial edge in reported spending — almost $3 million went directly to his campaign, plus millions more from outside groups, while challenger Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page raised just over $80,000.
• Outside groups quietly boosted Page’s campaign, and many have not filed — and may never file — donor disclosure reports with the state.
• The Guilford-Rockingham Alliance spent at least $442,000 on ads against Berger but has disclosed no donor information as of April 2, despite being registered as both a state independent expenditure filer and a federal super PAC.
• Campaign finance watchdog Bob Hall called the alliance’s non-disclosure a “violation of state law,” arguing it is “fantastical to believe” donations to the newly created group were made without knowledge they’d be spent on the Senate race.
• NC’s transparency laws were weakened starting in 2013 under Berger’s own leadership. Disclosure rules passed in 2004 have been reduced to cover only issue ads running within 30 days of a general election in even-numbered years — no longer applying before primaries.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
