What Phil Berger's loss tells us about election integrity — plus what’s next

North Carolina elections officials faced intense scrutiny over recounts in the Republican primary between state Sen. Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. 

WRAL state government reporters Paul Specht and Will Doran break down what we learned about the accuracy of elections in North Carolina — and the processes to verify the count.

They also break down what comes next for state budget negotiations and other big policy debates that could dominate the rest of 2026.

The WRAL Daily Download is an in-depth conversation about a single news story. WRAL covers news across North Carolina every day, but this podcast focuses on one story at a time, bringing context to each conversation. The in-depth, localized podcast takes you into the latest stories from Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Triangle region on North Carolina. This is community news aimed at keeping you informed about the more subtle stories that are happening around you. Hosted by WRAL News journalists, episodes post weekdays by 4:30am.