Naturally, people are asking “what’s next” in North Carolina’s most surprising primary outcome of last week—the GOP primary between the legislature’s most powerful politician, Phil Berger, and a local sheriff named Sam Page. 

At the end of Election Day, Berger trailed Page by just 2 votes. 🤯 Now, after counting provisional ballots, Page is up by 23 votes. 

A recount is ahead, but it appears likely that Berger will lose, despite being the most impactful lawmaker of the last 15 years in NC. It’s a shock to many, but not a shock to anyone who watched this episode of Billy Ball Explains NC on the subject.  

Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy broke down what’s next. One thing of note: In 2024, when Democrat Allison Riggs trailed on Election Day and caught up to her Republican opponent Jefferson Griffin during the provisional ballot counting—sparking a long post-election fight—Berger blasted NC for the process.

Now that he’s trailing and the shoe is on the other foot, he insists that the process needs to play out. Big tone shift. Check out this story, and please share.

North Carolina President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Guilford, Rockingham, smiles after he was re-elected to the position at the Legislative Building, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Raleigh, NC. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Hope we’re all recovering from the weekend’s “spring ahead” shift. I’m yawning right now. 

Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter: 

Cardinal & Pine reader Mary Ellen Ward sent us this gorgeous view from her deck in Alexander. 

My goodness, Mary, this is where I want to sit and drink coffee. 

North Carolina Rep. Lindsay Prather represents Buncombe County in the state legislature. (@cardinalandpine on YouTube)

In Lindsay Prather’s first year as a special education teacher in Asheville, she took home $28,000. 

That wasn’t a long time ago. Prather was a teacher from 201 1 to 2017 in Buncombe County. Today, NC teachers remain some of the most poorly paid educators in America.  

Recently, Prather, who now represents Buncombe County in the North Carolina state legislature, talked to Cardinal & Pine about the dire state of the teaching profession in the state. 

She says educators are leaving the state for others, and she blames the state legislature for not doing enough to resolve the problem. This is a must-read. 

1. Exiting the stage they entered together. Politics NC

“Berger and Tillis became dominant Republicans in 2011 and appear likely to leave together in 2027.”

2. North Carolina still doesn’t have a budget. Here’s how that affects everyday life. WFAE

This helpful bubble graph explains the many ways in which NC’s long-delayed state budget impacts your life.

3. Opinion: NC Republicans’ election takeover raises national alarm bells. Charlotte Observer

“A new report from The New York Times identified North Carolina as one of several potential targets for President Donald Trump’s goal to ‘take over’ voting procedures in parts of the country.”

On behalf of our parent company COURIER, check out this March 12 virtual event:

Big national decisions can have real impacts close to home—especially when it comes to health care.

COURIER is hosting a live virtual event, MAHA & the Midterms, to help break down how recent political choices are shaping health care access, affordability, and what families should know moving forward.

The conversation features author Hank Green, psychologist Dr. Mary Trump, US Rep. Lauren Underwood (a registered nurse), Shaughnessy Naughton of 314 Action, and medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta.

Join us for an informative discussion designed to help you better understand the issues—no policy background required.

👉 Save your spot here.

Chef Oscar Diaz’s Little Bull in Durham was MICHELIN Guide-recommended. (Sasha Israel_Bravo)

Much of the press around the Durham chef Oscar Diaz and his high-flying, Michelin-recommended restaurant, Little Bull, has centered on the fusion of Southern food and Diaz’s Mexican lineage.

Appropriately. 

But sometimes the story can overshadow how damned good the food is. I had my first bite at Little Bull about a year ago. It is sumptuous and heady stuff. Check out the dumplings stuffed with birria, a traditional Mexican stew typically made out of goat or beef.  

Diaz is one of two North Carolina chefs featured on Top Chef’s Season 23, which debuts tonight on Bravo. This season, which was filmed in Charlotte, also features Queen City chef Brittany Cochran, who works at Stagioni, an Italian restaurant in Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood.

Cardinal & Pine contributor Vanessa Infanzon has written an excellent guide to the Carolina-love in “Top Chef.” Check it out.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m an NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Today’s edition includes stories from Michael McElroy, Dylan Rhoney, and Vanessa Infanzon. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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