A Republican state senator has denied plotting to gerrymander his district in exchange for an endorsement from Donald Trump.
Phil Berger, a veteran of North Carolina’s state Senate, is currently running against Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, an immigration hardliner and longtime Trump supporter who represents the first serious challenge to the senator since he assumed office in 2001.
In an attempt to gain an edge over his competitor and curry favor with the administration, Berger announced his backing on Thursday of plans to redraw his district’s congressional maps in an effort to oust Democratic congressman Don Davis—the same day he was heavily rumoured to be receiving an endorsement from Trump.
Berger has denied making contact with Trump or making any sort of deal with the president in exchange for an endorsement. His opponents on both sides of the aisle, however, have accused the senator of making dirty deals with the administration in an attempt to further suppress voters’ rights.
“I’ve been hearing for a little while now that Phil Berger’s team has been puffing out their chests and bragging that they have President Donald J. Trump over a barrel—because if he wants those maps redrawn, he’s going to have to endorse Phil Berger,” Sheriff Page wrote on Facebook.
“I say, if President Trump wants those maps redrawn, that SHOULD come with no strings attached—but I guess Phil Berger doesn’t think so. Let me be clear—our Commander in Chief doesn’t owe Phil Berger a damn thing!” he added.
I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress. 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… https://t.co/rrw6egaO0O
— Senator Phil Berger (@SenatorBerger) September 25, 2025
Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross also called out Berger for his alleged gerrymandering deal with Trump, labelling the move a “new low.”
In a statement released on Thursday, Ross wrote: “If reports are true, North Carolina Republicans have truly stooped to a new low. Accepting a political endorsement in exchange for engaging in partisan gerrymandering is nothing less than blatant, unapologetic corruption. North Carolina Republicans have already rigged our maps in their favor, but they are now planning to go even further simply to appease Donald Trump.”
She added: “From Texas to Missouri and now North Carolina, Republicans are waging a war on American voting rights because they know the truth – their policies are unpopular, their candidates are unlikable, and they can’t win a majority in Congress without stacking the deck in their favor.
“We will fight these corrupt redistricting plans in every single state. We will fight for our democracy and for American voters who are tired of corrupt leaders silencing their voices.”
Berger, meanwhile, defended the decision to gerrymander his district as a necessary measure to protect the Republicans’ slim majority in Congress, although he denied doing so at Trump’s behest.
I’ve been hearing for a little while now that Phil Berger’s team has been puffing out their chests and bragging that…
Posted by Sam Page for NC Senate on Thursday 25 September 2025
“I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress,” he wrote 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.”
North Carolina’s congressional makeup currently consists of 10 Republicans and four Democrats, with the at-risk 1st District being the only competitive seat in the state.
An investigation by The Cook Report earlier this month found Don Davis’ seat to be one of the most vulnerable in the entire country.
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