Adam Wagner

Berger is a 13-term state senator and an architect of the Republican takeover of North Carolina's powerful General Assembly.

That didn't matter to voters in his home district.

Instead, they narrowly opted for Sam Page, the seven-term sheriff of Rockingham County.

Some voters grew frustrated with Berger over a 2023 effort to bring four casinos to North Carolina, including one in Rockingham County.

Page pointed to this effort as a sign that Berger had lost touch with voters back home.

Ultimately, a pair of recounts after the March 3 election reaffirmed that Berger lost by 23 votes.

Now, with Berger's concession, North Carolina's Senate Republicans are looking for a new leader for the first time in more than 20 years.

For NPR News, I'm Adam Wagner.

Rocky Mount is the largest city in North Carolina's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.

There will be a five-way Republican primary there, with the party seeking to defeat two-term Democrat Don Davis.

Even as the state's Republican-controlled legislature redrew the district to give the GOP an advantage, Jonathan Sutton owns a barbershop near the venue where Trump will speak.

Sutton, a Democrat, says he's noticed a decidedly negative sentiment among friends and clients.

Just dealing with people, people kind of just sad and don't know what's going on, not sure of their future.

An NPR PBS Marist poll found that only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy.

For NPR News, I'm Adam Wagner in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Rocky Mount is the largest city in North Carolina's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.

There will be a five-way Republican primary there, with the party seeking to defeat two-term Democrat Don Davis.

Even as the state's Republican-controlled legislature redrew the district to give the GOP an advantage, Jonathan Sutton owns a barbershop near the venue where Trump will speak.

Sutton, a Democrat, says he's noticed a decidedly negative sentiment among friends and clients.

Just dealing with people, people who kind of just say and don't know what's going on, not sure of their future.