Berger announces bid for re-election

N.C. Sen. President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced Monday that he would seek re-election and would not run to replace Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., in the U.S. Senate.

This eliminates a would-be face-off between the two most powerful Republicans in the N.C. General Assembly: Berger and House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg. Tillis announced in May that he would be contending for Hagan’s seat.

Berger said in a statement that he believed he would make more of a difference in his current position.

“I’m proud of what our Republican Senate majority has accomplished over the past three legislative sessions, and there is still much more for us to do in the North Carolina Senate,” he said.

If Berger had run, he would have a tough race ahead of him, said Mitch Kokai, a political analyst from the John Locke Foundation, a right-leaning think tank.

“He holds a very powerful post in North Carolina state government, and even if he were to win a very bruising primary battle and then go on to defeat Kay Hagan, he would go on to play a much smaller role in the U.S. Senate,” he said.

John Dinan, a Wake Forest University political science professor, said it’s possible that Berger will continue working on the tax reform plan as an N.C. senator.

“(The Senate) initially pushed for some more significant reductions,” he said. “It’s very possible that the tax return issue returns again.”

Kokai said current polling data might have contributed to Berger’s decision not to run for U.S. Senate.

He said data shows that Hagan is ahead in the polls, and it would require a lot of time and money for a Republican to try and unseat her.

According to Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning polling firm, on Sept. 10, Berger had the most support among Republican primary voters with 13 percent of the vote, while Tillis carried 12 percent.

But Hagan was still ahead of Berger by 17 percentage points.

Berger said in the statement that he felt it was important to unseat Hagan, but it wasn’t his time to run.

“(Hagan’s) record does not reflect the conservative values of most North Carolinians or the strong leadership we deserve from our elected representatives,” he said.

Kokai said that although Tillis will have an easier primary race without Berger, it is also possible that Sen. Peter Brunstetter, R-Forsyth, will join the race. Brunstetter would be joining Greg Brannon, a Cary obstetrician and gynecologist, and Heather Grant, a Wilkesboro nurse, in the running.

“It sounds like (Brunstetter) would get some support from Phil Berger,” Kokai said. “That would change the calculations as well.”

Dinan said although Tillis has a tough primary and potential general election ahead, his biggest competitor will not be running.

“Berger was the biggest heavyweight out there who was a potential competitor for him,” he said. “Tillis is the biggest winner from today’s announcement.”

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