Jason Gerhard on Redemption, Rebellion, and Running Merrimack County

Jason Gerhard spent twelve years in federal prison. Now he wants to run the county sheriff’s office.That sentence alone should stop you mid-scroll — and that’s the point. On this episode of The Gracie Gato Podcast, I sit down with former State Representative Jason Gerhard, a convicted felon turned lawmaker turned two-time candidate for Merrimack County Sheriff, to talk about what happens when a system spits someone out and they decide to run for the front office instead of walking away.We get into it: the prison sentence, the treatise he wrote behind bars calling out federal overreach, his fight to restore gun rights for people with records like his own, and his controversial vision of what a sheriff’s office could be if it took its independent, constitutional powers seriously. Agree with him or not — and I suspect you’ll land somewhere strong either way — Gerhard is a case study in what happens when “redeemable” runs headlong into “electable.”No spin. No vibes. Just receipts, hard questions, and a conversation about power, punishment, and second acts in New Hampshire politics. Listen now on The Gracie Gato Podcast — where we chase the paper trail, not the applause.More on Jason Gerhard’s campaign: gohardwithgerhard.com Get full access to The Gracie Gato Podcast at gracieformermrsgato.substack.com/subscribe