By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) has announced that 104 New Hampshire legislators earned an A or A+ Liberty Rating in 2026, all of them Republicans, which the organization said is more than double the total for 2025.
The NHLA was founded in 2003 and says it is a non-partisan coalition working to increase individual freedom in New Hampshire. It monitors certain bills in each legislative session, which are evaluated based on aspects like effects on civil liberties, personal responsibility, property rights, and accountability, according to its website.
Some Democratic lawmakers see NHLA as a Republican/Libertarian/ Free State project that pursues ideology over what’s good for New Hampshire.
Rep. Wendy Thomas, D-Merrimack, said if the NHLA puts you at the bottom of its list “maybe that’s exactly where a legislator should be.”
“The NHLA’s rating measures one thing: how closely a legislator votes to its ideology. It does not measure whether we protect our communities, our environment, or the people we represent. Sometimes voting against NHLA’s policies is the right thing to do.
“Take Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): protecting families from toxic contamination may not earn you points with an organization that opposes government regulation, but it does protect New Hampshire families,” Thomas said.
She added, “I don’t work for the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. I work for my constituents. My job is to listen to them, stand up for them, and make decisions based on what is best for New Hampshire, not on how an ideological organization scores my votes. If that puts me at the bottom of their list, I’ll wear it proudly.”
Thomas was among those who received the lowest score CT or Constitutional Threat which was defined as “Considered unfaithful to their oath to uphold the New Hampshire Constitution and the principles of liberty.”
According to data from the latest ratings, 124 Democrats were ranked as Constitutional Threat (CT); 32 received an “F” grading, while three earned “D-minus” rankings. No Republicans received the Constitutional Threat rating.
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter said, “If Republicans really cared about liberty, they’d be fighting for data privacy, stronger due process and protecting bodily autonomy. Their obsession over a biased report card is none of my business.”
The full Liberty Ratings for 2026 including your state legislators can be viewed at: https://www.nhliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Liberty-Rating-2026.pdf
All eight Democratic state Senators received the score of CT or Constitutional Threat “Considered unfaithful to their oath to uphold the New Hampshire Constitution and the principles of liberty.” All 16 Republican Senators received A through C-.
Republican Sen. Mark McConkey received a C rating and Denise Ricciardi a C- grade. The rest of the Republican Senators were A to B-.
There were no Democratic Representatives listed that were given above a “D-” rank.
The NHLA uses this evaluation of certain bills to publish a weekly handout called “The Gold Standard,” which is distributed to members of the House of Representatives and Senate, aiming to give legislators a better understanding of “whether a given bill is pro-liberty or anti-liberty.” It also ranks legislators based on how they vote on the monitored bills. A list of the bills they tracked in the House and Senate can be found on pages 11 and 14 of the full report here: https://www.nhliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Liberty-Rating-2026.pdf
Rep. Dan McGuire, R-Epsom, noted his surprise when he learned he was the recipient of the NHLA’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, which aimed to honor “his years of sustained service and contribution to the liberty movement,” per the press release.
McGuire moved from Washington state to New Hampshire for the Free State Project back in 2005, was first elected as a state Representative in 2010 and is currently in his non-consecutive 5th term. While he said he does not currently plan to run for reelection, he hasn’t ruled out a potential return several years from now.
“I was very pleased, because the NHLA is an organization that I respect a lot. I was on its Board for a short period of time. They do really good work… It was very thoughtful of them, and I was somewhat surprised,” McGuire said.
He added, “The Free State Project — and I was formerly on the Board — is an organization to promote New Hampshire, and to promote liberty-minded people to move to New Hampshire, but it has no political presence in New Hampshire. They don’t do anything about legislation, or bills, or getting people elected. The NHLA, on the other hand, is strictly an internal organization. It’s only in New Hampshire; it doesn’t go out and go to other states… they’re two separate functions.”
Free State Project Executive Director Eric Brakey, who attended the July 18 Liberty Alliance annual dinner at Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House in Bedford, said, “It was encouraging. I think it was the most well-attended event they’ve ever done. There was a very positive energy in the room; people were very excited about progress that’s been made on liberty issues, and celebrating some of the champions in the legislature who have been making these things happen. People were in very high spirits, and it was a wonderful evening.”
Brakey said the Free State Project does not keep a list of how many liberty legislators consider themselves Free Staters (or) Free Staters who hold office. He said whether or not someone considers themselves a Free Stater is up to them.
“I have a lot of respect for the NHLA as an organization. Anyone who is voting consistently for liberty as we understand it are welcome to call themselves a Free Stater if they’d like to. Whether they were born here or if they moved here, if they agree with the vision of a New Hampshire that respects our basic human liberties then I’d love to count them as Free Staters, but that’s an individual choice for themselves, whether they want to identify as one or not,” he said.
Brakey said the NHLA and the Free State Project are organizations that support each other and reinforce their missions. He said while they both began in the early 2000s, they began independently.
“I think that the NHLA was founded by people who were native Granite Staters, but certainly a lot of the grassroot support for the NHLA – in terms of activists who want to help read bills, evaluate them, and hand out the Gold Standard reports in the State House – a lot of this has been fed by the Free State Project bringing in people who want to get involved and make a difference… I think a lot of the different institutions for the liberty movement in New Hampshire play different roles, but we are all driving generally toward the same mission,” he said.
According to its website, the Free State Project‘s letter of intent says: “I hereby state my solemn intent to live in New Hampshire and exert my fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of individual rights to life, liberty, and property. I am a Free Stater.”
Started 20 years ago, The Free State Project is looking for 20,000 signers and an estimated 9,000 already have signed on.
“Today, anyone who shares our liberty values and intends to live in New Hampshire — native or newcomer — is invited to sign and declare their intent to participate in the Free State Project,” the website states.
Rep. Brian Labrie, R-Bedford, was named the 2026 Legislator of the Year (the organization’s highest legislative honor). It honors a legislator whose “voting record, legislative leadership, and broader contribution to advancing liberty stood out during the year.”
“I’m deeply humbled to get the nod for Legislator of the year. But awards are about the work, not the wall space. My focus remains exactly where it’s always been: delivering for my constituents in Bedford and keeping our state the best place to live, work, and grow a business,” Labrie said.
Jeffrey Creem, from Nashua, received the 2026 Activist of the Year Award, recognizing his commitment, energy, and impact advancing liberty in New Hampshire. Creem could not be reached for comment.
Rep. Diane Pauer, R-Brookline, received the 2026 Chairman’s Award, where she was recognized for “exceptional contribution to the NHLA and the cause of liberty.” Pauer did not respond to requests for comment.
The NHLA also gave out various other awards which included workers from the organization, Representatives, and Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester. They are:
- Bill Reviewer of the Year: Rich Tomasso (former NHLA chair)
- Rookie of the Year: Rep. Sam Farrington, R-Rochester
- For the People Award: Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester
- Breaking Overton Windows Award: Rep. Matt Drew, R-Manchester
- Uno Reverse Award: Rep. Ross Berry, R-Weare
- Rising Star Award: Rep. Lisa Mazur, R-Goffstown