Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Sheriff (actually) do?

The County Sheriff is the senior law enforcement officer in the county, and the only elected law enforcement position. The appointment is for 2 years. The Sheriff’s main responsibilities are:

• To keep the courts running smoothly
• To serve warrants and enforce civil orders issued by the court
• To serve criminal or civil processes, investigate crimes
• To pursue and apprehend criminals within their jurisdiction

In short, the Sheriff is responsible for ensuring that the will of the people is upheld.

What is Pete's position on I.C.E.?

Pete will not sign a 287(g) agreement.

He wrote a letter to the Concord Monitor outlining his official position in July 2026.

In short, signing an agreement would make the sheriff’s office an extension of ICE, with deputies trained, supervised and directed by the federal government to perform federal immigration enforcement. In a state where we champion the phrase “live free or die,” it seems that our already limited resources should be used to focus on issues relevant to our communities, and that we should maintain clear lines of responsibility between local and federal jurisdiction.

Who else is running?

Pete is the only democrat running for Merrimack County Sheriff this election cycle.

Since the County Sheriff position holds a lot of power, Pete and his team encourage voters to learn about all of the candidates, and decide for themselves who seems the most qualified, experienced, educated, and who has the right temperament to do the job well.

How can I support Pete's campaign?

Pete is self-funding his campaign and is not accepting campaign donations. Following and/or interacting with our social media pages, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth promotion is always helpful and very much appreciated. If you are interested in supporting his campaign in other non-financial ways, visit our Contact page and send us a message.

Of course, the most important thing you can do is vote for Pete on November 3, 2026!

Thank you!!

Has anyone endorsed Pete?

(Since Pete is running unopposed in the primary, most official endorsements will not be made public until about mid-late September. We will release an "Endorsements" page on our site once we have updates.)

Official Endorsements:

David Croft, current sitting Merrimack County Sheriff