Sen. Phil Berger on Short Session, Budget, and the NC Senate as an Institution

Do Politics Better Podcast · Apr 30, 2026 · 53m

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger sits down for a candid conversation about the legislative short session and the question everyone in #ncpol is asking: Will the House and Senate actually come together on a new budget?

Sen. Berger also reflects on his unsuccessful run for the NC House in 1994, his successful bid for NC Senate six years later, and talks about spending a decade in the minority.

We also dig into the pivotal 2010 shift to a Republican majority, Berger’s perspective on that transition, and his respect for the way his Democratic predecessor, Sen. Marc Basnight, navigated a…