Brianna Kraemer
Carolina Journal
North Carolina Senate President Phil Berger recently underscored the state’s significant economic transformation over the past decade and a half under Republican leadership while looking ahead to the next decade amidst a booming population.
During an interview with the Carolina Journal, Berger credited the policies enacted since the GOP took control of the North Carolina General Assembly for the state’s impressive resurgence.
“Over the decade and a half that has transpired since Republicans took control of the North Carolina General Assembly for the first time in over a century, what we have seen is a real transformation of North Carolina state government, and that transformation has led to a real transformation and really a rebirth of the North Carolina economy,” Berger said.
North Carolina’s population has been steadily climbing, and Berger noted that the state now ranks as the ninth most populous in the country, recently surpassing 11 million residents. He also projected that the state’s growth could propel it to an even higher rank by the next census, potentially passing both Georgia and Ohio.
“We currently are the ninth most populous state,” Berger stated. “We recently, by estimates, passed 11 million citizens in North Carolina, and we are growing faster than the states that are ahead of us in positions eight and seven, and we very well, when the next census comes out, [could] be the seventh most populous state. Those sorts of things don’t happen by accident. That kind of growth doesn’t happen just by happenstance.”
The Senate leader attributed the growth to policies that have made North Carolina an attractive destination for private sector businesses, job growth, and individuals seeking a place to live, work, and raise families. For example, the General Assembly abolished the progressive tax structure in 2013 and replaced it with a flat tax that is scheduled to drop further over the next year.
During the 2025 legislative session, Berger emphasized that Senate Republicans will continue to advance policies that drive economic expansion.
“My priority, and I think the priority of Senate Republicans, will be to continue those policies that have provided that kind of environment that has made North Carolina attractive to private sector businesses, private sector job growth, and individuals making a decision as to where they want to live, to work, and to raise their families, and decisions made by business owners as to where they want their businesses to be located,” Berger said. “That is my number one priority, to continue the policies that have gotten us to that point and to enhance those policies at every opportunity.”
As House and Senate leaders begin a busy spring in Raleigh, both chamber leaders have suggested a conclusion by the end of June, though past years have proven the attempt difficult to achieve. Speaker of the House Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, introduced a calendar that outlined the House’s schedule through June, while Berger told the Carolina Journal that, ideally, the General Assembly would wrap up its work by mid-June.
“I don’t know that the end of the session is going to occur on any particular day, my preference would be that we finish by mid-June, if at all possible. We will finish once we get the work done,” Berger explained. “I think what we need is discipline within the legislative body to get our work done as efficiently and as quickly as possible, even if it means we have to work more than two, three, or four days a week,” Berger added.
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