Proposal For NH To Secede From The United States Praised, But Mostly Condemned

By ZACH LAIRD, InDepth NH

A proposal by former Free State Project Board Chair Carla Gericke to have New Hampshire secede from the United States has been pushed by her as she continues to pursue secession, but largely panned by others.

Gericke’s organization, called NH Exit, aims to turn New Hampshire into a sovereign nation separate from the rest of the country. In order to reach that goal, the group would need to include a “statewide referendum demonstrating the will of the people,” per its website, along with a series of legal and political obstacles. Another aspect is the campaign’s efforts to engage with legislators and advocate for the cause.

When asked where the idea for the proposal began, Gericke said, “I’ve never accepted the status quo when something better is possible. Growing up under apartheid in South Africa taught me that early. This is simply a larger version of the same principle. America was never supposed to have such a strong, unaccountable federal boss in (Washington) D.C. The Founders designed a voluntary union of sovereign states. We’ve drifted a long way from that.”

House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, said the proposal to secede from the United States is “absolutely not what I am hearing from Granite Staters who are concerned about the costs of housing, utilities, and groceries.”

She added that it’s a fringe proposal that the legislature has seen before, and that while she doesn’t believe it will have enough support to become law, the ideas behind it “are alarming and concerning.”

House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn — who moved to New Hampshire for the Free State Project — did not respond for comment. He previously told InDepthNH.org “LOL, no and no,” when asked if he supported the proposal and if he thought the movement was realistic.

Previous efforts in 2024 would have seen a secession clause added to the state constitution, and a proposal in 2022 received 13 votes out in the state legislature.

Gericke said that “History shows us the map is not fixed. In the 1800s there were far fewer sovereign countries; today there are nearly 200. Things change when people decide they must.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The legal and diplomatic path would be peaceful, democratic, and orderly—starting with study commissions, a Constitutional Amendment, and negotiations. Obstacles exist, of course, but pretending the current system can continue forever is the real fantasy,” Gericke said.

She also said that the concept of a “national divorce” rises and falls depending on whose team is in power, so that it depends on who you ask and when.

“The Free State community has always been about concentrating liberty-minded people to reinforce the pro-freedom reality on the ground. NH Exit is the logical next conversation once you’ve already moved here for liberty in your lifetime. That said, like most things in a large community of individuals, opinions vary,” Gericke said.

She said she’s reached out to candidates running for office and legislators with the New Hampshire First Pledge surveys, and so far, has heard back from about a dozen state Representatives.

Gericke described the reactions as a “mixed bag,” noting some signed parts of it, some crossed out sections, another called her names, and one was “surprised I was still pushing this under Trump. That’s fine. That’s healthy. It means the conversation is actually happening instead of being dismissed out of hand.”

“I appreciate that this still sounds radical to many people… until the day it simply won’t. I believe in New Hampshire First. I believe in Backyard First. I believe in self-ownership and keeping decision-making in the smallest possible units. New Hampshire will make a small, dynamic, prosperous country — and I can’t wait to help show everyone that’s true,” she said.

The ideas behind New Hampshire’s recent secession efforts stem from a misunderstanding connected to the Free State Project. Jason Sorens, the man who founded the Free State movement, initially suggested the threat of secession could be used by New Hampshire to gain more freedom from the federal government. He quickly backed away from that idea when it was championed by white supremacists.

But secession has remained bubbling in the background of many Free State adjacent activists in the state.

Eric Brakey, executive director of the Free State Project, said secession is “not on the table for me, but everyone is welcomed to advocate for what they’re passionate about.”

“Every participant is free to pursue whichever issues are most important to them. Carla (Gericke) is a free agent, and this is something that she cares about. I personally am on the record not being a supporter of secession as the most viable strategy to achieve liberty. I do think our country is founded on secession, and I think New Hampshire (and) any other state has the right to.

“But, is that something that’s going to be viable in the immediate near term, and is that actually going to result in more liberty? I personally think for the many problems I have with the federal government, I think we really benefit from this fifty-state free trade zone — and even if we did manage to do it peacefully — I’d be worried about retaliatory sanctions and losing free trade opportunities with the rest of the United States,” Brakey said.

Brakey said there are probably a number of people who agree with Gericke on the subject, but that he hasn’t seen any type of polling among the broader Free State community. He added he thinks “a lot of the people who are certainly engaged directly in politics are skeptical.”

Jaime Hussey, who moved from Maine to New Hampshire for the Free State Project in 2024 and now serves as its Deputy Welcome Director, said she’s neutral on the topic.

“I definitely don’t approve of what the federal government is doing overall, but I wouldn’t say I necessarily support seceding from the federal government. I don’t know if it’s a belief that’s held broadly across all of the FSP, but it is what it is. I know there are definitely people who are supportive, people who are more neutral, and people who think that it’s a pretty batty idea… There are definitely varying opinions,” Hussey said.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte could not be reached for comment on the subject.

According to the Free State Project’s website, the project began in 2001 and was founded by Jason Sorens as an alternative and attainable strategy to the Libertarian Party’s national strategy. In order to create a more concentrated community of libertarians, Sorens launched the idea of a “mass migration to concentrate libertarians in one small state.” The concept was supported by a vote of the first 1,000 participants. Since then, the organization states that thousands have made the move to New Hampshire.

Brakey said there are between 6,000 and 10,000 participants of the project.

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.