RALEIGH, N.C. — Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, announced his candidacy Thursday to become the next president pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate, joining a General Assembly leadership fight that will reshape how state legislation is steered after Phil Berger’s 15-year run.
Jackson chairs the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee. He is co-founder of Jackson Farming Company and represents Bladen, Duplin, Jones, Pender and Sampson counties. In a statement, he said fiscal discipline, limited government and agriculture would be priorities if he leads the chamber.
Berger has served as president pro tempore since 2011, when Republicans took control of the Senate. His defeat by Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page in the Republican primary earlier this year guarantees a new Senate leader when lawmakers return for the 2027-28 legislative session. Only Democrat Marc Basnight and Berger have held the post since 1993.
Also seeking the job are Senate Majority Leader Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; Deputy President Pro Tempore Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell; and Sen. Todd Johnson, R-Union. Hise has said he will put his name forward after the current session’s work concludes. Lee chairs Appropriations and Education committees and has been a lead negotiator on education legislation including Opportunity Scholarships that expanded statewide school choice.
Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the John Locke Foundation, said the president pro tempore assigns senators to committees, appoints members to state boards and commissions and hires professional legislative staff, giving the leader major influence over state policy. A caucus vote could come after the November election or when the new session opens in January 2027.
