An open seat: Sheriff David Croft is retiring after a 43-year law enforcement career and has endorsed Peter Shephard, per the county's official pages and local coverage. Three Republicans compete September 8.
Peter Shephard · Democratic▾
Shephard is a former U.S. Army member who filed to run for Merrimack County Sheriff, per the campaign site. He is a newcomer to elected politics whose campaign has focused on engaging with local voters and community organizations across the county, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Addressing cybersecurity and internet scams that target vulnerable residents, including young people and seniors · Direct community engagement and listening to constituent concerns (per the campaign site)
Frank T. Cassidy of Epsom is a retired law enforcement officer who worked as an undercover officer, per the Concord Monitor. He won the 2024 Republican sheriff nomination before losing that November, and is running again in 2026, per the Concord Monitor. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Priorities: A strict enforcement approach combined with treatment options for more effective drug policy, per Concord Monitor
Gerhard previously served as a New Hampshire state representative before running for Merrimack County Sheriff, per the campaign site. He has been active advocating for grand jury authority and tax policy issues, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Making Sheriff's Department resources available to support county grand jury investigations · Reestablishing elected local constables in towns and cities (per the campaign site)
Ben Weir of Hopkinton is making another run at the sheriff's office after appearing on the 2022 ballot as a Libertarian, per the certified filing list. He is an Army veteran who resigned from the state Libertarian party earlier in 2026, per the Concord Monitor. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Priorities: Opposing restrictions on gun ownership · Treatment for drug users while targeting traffickers, saying "we cannot arrest our way out of addiction" (per the Concord Monitor)
An open seat: County Attorney Paul Halvorsen is not seeking reelection, per the county's official pages. Three Republicans compete September 8.
Steven Endres · Democratic▾
Steven Endres of Bradford is an attorney who previously served as an assistant county attorney in the Merrimack County Attorney's Office, per a New Hampshire Judicial Branch task force roster. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Meg Hagaman of Bow is a career prosecutor whose work began in Merrimack County and who later served as chief of the Criminal Justice Bureau at the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, prosecuting some of the state's most complex cases including murder, per her NH Journal op-ed and Concord Patch.
Priorities: Firm, fair prosecution that follows the facts · Consistent and responsible operation of the criminal justice system (per the NH Journal op-ed)
Raiche is a prosecutor with 26 years of experience across defense and prosecution roles, including as a public defender and in private practice, per the campaign site. He has secured convictions for violent offenders and handled thousands of cases over his career, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Addressing violent crime, with bail and mental health reform to protect victims · Diversion pipelines for non-violent offenders · Transparency through open-door policies and public forums (per the campaign site)
Sarah Rogers of Concord is an attorney who prosecuted in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties from 2013 to 2019 and Merrimack County from 2021 to 2024, previously served as a CASA attorney, and was named to the state's 40 Under 40, per her campaign site.
Priorities: Maximum penalties under the law for child sexual predators · Trial-ready leadership of the office from day one (per the campaign site)
Two Democrats compete September 8; no Republican filed.
Kathleen Donnelly · Democratic▾
Kathleen Donnelly is a Concord Democrat running for Merrimack County Treasurer, per New Hampshire Secretary of State filing records. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Dianne Schuett is a Pembroke Democrat who previously served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for Merrimack 12, first from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2024, per Citizens Count. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Priorities: Property tax reform and more equitable school funding · Climate action and expanding renewable energy · Family and medical leave programs and a higher minimum wage (per the Citizens Count)
Erica S. Davis of Concord is on the Secretary of State's certified filing list as the Democratic candidate for Merrimack County Register of Deeds. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Samantha Morse was elected Merrimack County Register of Deeds in November 2024 and is seeking re-election, per the county's register of deeds page. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Bradstreet, of Hopkinton, has held the office of Merrimack County Register of Probate since at least 2011 and was sworn in by then-retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, per the Andover Beacon. Merrimack County's own website does not list a probate department page, consistent with probate courts having moved to the state Circuit Court; no official county roster page or campaign website was found. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
The only filer in either party. District 3 is not on the 2026 ballot.
Steve Shurtleff · DemocraticIncumbent▾
Shurtleff has served as Merrimack County Commissioner for District 1, covering Bow and Concord, since January 2025, per the county's own website. He previously served roughly 20 years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House, before retiring from that seat in 2024, per the Concord Monitor. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Two Republicans compete September 8; the winner meets the Democratic filer in November.
Vincent S. Ribas · Democratic▾
Ribas, of Franklin, currently serves as a city councilor for Franklin's Ward 2, per the city's official website. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found for his county commissioner run as of September 6, 2026.
Richard Bilodeau of Loudon is on the Secretary of State's certified filing list as the Republican candidate for Merrimack County Commissioner, District 2. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Harold F. French of Canterbury is a real estate broker and auctioneer and a former New Hampshire state senator, per Citizens Count. He is seeking the Merrimack County Commissioner, District 2 seat.
Priorities: Education Freedom Accounts and school choice · Opposing broad-based income and sales taxes and phasing out the Interest and Dividends tax · Keeping local property tax funding and local control of schools (per the campaign site)
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Elizabeth Petrides▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Audrey Broyer▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Tarah Noonan▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Merrimack Town Council
City
Finlay Rothhaus▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Pauline C. Landrigan▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
John P. O’Neill Jr.▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Budget Committee
Local
Kevin Southwick▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Dan Coakley▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Meghan Delyani▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Preston Villavicencio▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Katelynn Bernier▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Paul F. McLaughlin Jr.▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Planning & Building Committee
Local
Laurie Rothhaus▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Tim Groff▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
School Board
Local
Harley T. Hall▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Ali LaSala▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Ethics Committee
Local
Christy Benedetto▾
Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot. New Hampshire held its state primary on September 8, 2026: a plurality won each party's contest, undeclared voters could take either ballot, and unopposed filers advance to November 3, per the Secretary of State. Results are unofficial until certified.
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Merrimack County
Each ZIP page previews the statewide and congressional races for that ZIP; add a street address in the lookup for county and city contests.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
