Although the state legislature has repeatedly and overwhelmingly rejected proposals calling for New Hampshire to secede from the country, a fresh push for Granite State independence will have a moment Monday evening in a national spotlight.
Carla Gericke, who is running for the New Hampshire House of Representatives as a Republican while promoting the “NHExit Now” push for secession, will be featured on “Dr. Phil Primetime” alongside a Texas secessionist and other guests.
Gericke, who has also been a leader with the Free State Project — a group that aims to attract libertarian-minded movers to transform New Hampshire’s political identity — said she is working to promote the principles of liberty, self-determination, and the state’s unique heritage and values as the national debt skyrockets and the federal government keeps expanding.
“Being given the opportunity to discuss an amicable national divorce on a platform like Dr. Phil’s is a gift,” Gericke said in a statement. “As this movement reaches the mainstream, it is crucial for people to understand that while New Hampshire’s motto is ‘Live Free or Die,’ our movement is a peaceful one.”
Gericke emigrated to the United States from South Africa in 1996, moved from New York to New Hampshire in 2008, and became known by the Free State Project as “Queen Quill” for her subsequent leadership roles in a movement that has adopted the porcupine as its mascot. She won a federal court case on appeal in 2014 affirming a right to record police during a traffic stop, and she was named that year among New Hampshire Magazine’s “Remarkable Women.”
Gericke, who lives in Manchester, has run for House or Senate in each of the past four electoral cycles and lost. But some like-minded leaders have won legislative seats.
In 2022, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have declared New Hampshire’s independence was rejected 323-13 in the House. The 13 members who voted to keep the measure alive were accused of violating the US Constitution, but the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission ruled it lacks jurisdiction to bar them from office.
In 2024, the House voted 341-24 to indefinitely postpone consideration of a constitutional amendment that would have triggered New Hampshire’s declaration of independence if the national debt reaches $40 trillion. (The debt currently stands at about $35 trillion.)
The member who introduced that proposal, Republican Representative Jason Gerhard of Belmont, previously served more than a decade in prison for supplying weapons during a 2007 standoff with federal authorities. He is running this year for Merrimack County sheriff. (Check out NHPR’s recent story about him.)
The other guests who will appear with Gericke on “Dr. Phil Primetime” include Daniel Miller, founder of the Texas Nationalist Movement; writer Laura Wellington; and author Richard Kreitner, who discusses whether modern-day secession is truly possible. The show begins airing at 8 p.m.
This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.