PETER VARNEY
District 7 - Alton / Barnstead
Mr. Varney is currently a state representative and is running for re-election
NOT RECOMMENDED
Mr. Varney's 2025-26 attendance (33%) and rate of voting on roll call votes (19%) is one of the worst in the NH House, and even lower than than previous years. He has not attended County Delegation meetings for years. Yet shockingly, Alton & Barnstead voters continue to blindly vote for him. Mr. Varney is not reasonable, not responsible and frankly, not there. We do not recommend Mr. Varney for another term.
Candidate Data
from
Citizens Count & NH Liberty Alliance
Attendance (House avg 92%) 33%
Roll call votes (House avg 88%) 19%
Libertarian Rating Incomplete (B & higher = Extreme Libertarian/Free Stater)
Rep. Peter Varney is a libertarian running as a Republican candidate for re-election to his fifth term in the NH House. He is a resident of Alton, and until Dec. 2025, served as fire chief and code enforcement officer for the Town of New Durham. He also runs a part-time gun sales and gunsmithing business, and another selling and testing high voltage equipment.
A 2026 check of the NH Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance database shows Rep. Varney has never filed a report, a violation of state law if campaign money was received or spent. He has not filled out Citizens for Belknap questionnaire in six years, and has not filled out a Citizens Count survey since 2020.
Still MIA in Concord and the County Delegation
Rep. Varney serves on no committees, and has not in other recent sessions, either. According to Citizens Count, in 2025 he attended only 33% of the Session days, vs. 95% by other legislators. His roll call voting record at the NH House fell from from a dreadful 47% in 2021/22, to a low of 19% in 2025-26. The average of 93% of other legislators.
Rep. Varney’s attendance for Belknap County Delegations are worse. He has attended NO Delegation meetings to our knowledge. Mr. Varney does not serve his combined 10,000 constituents in Alton and Barnstead in county issues, or very many other issues for that matter.
Continues to Support Attacks on Gunstock
Rep. Varney is one of the legislators who unfortunately retained his seat after supporting the extreme libertarian takeover of the Gunstock Area Commission, along with his District 7 colleagues Barbara Comtois and Paul Terry, and District 6's Glen Aldrich.
While Rep.Varney doesn’t appear to be a leader in the attacks on Gunstock, in 2022 he aided and abetted the efforts of former Rep. Michael Silvia and Norm Silber to stack the Gunstock Area Commission with libertarian extremists.
In 2024, he was a co-sponsor to Rep. Barbara Comtois’ HB 1414, mandating, instead of routine outside audits, using forensic audits, used for investigating criminal activity. The bill also proposed increasing the revenue sharing percentage, and requiring video recording of Gunstock Area Committee meetings. HB 1414 was the ONLY bill co-sponsored by Rep. Varney in the 2023/24 session, and it was fortunately defeated.
Mr. Varney is Endorsed by a Libertarian/Free Stater Groups
The Liberty Alliance rated him in 2026 as Incomplete due to his absenteeism, but has rated him highly in past legislative terms. He has, however, been rated 88% for the 2023-2024 by the John Birch Society’s Freedom Index. The John Birch Society is considered an anti-government group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and an anti-Semitic and racist organization by the Anti-Defamation League.
2014: Former fire chief sues New Durham claiming he was fired without cause
2025: Complaint involving allegations against Peter Varney as fire chief in New Durham. https://www.newdurhamnh.us/uploads/report.pdf
In His Own Words . . .
Mr. Varney has never returned aCitizens for Belknap Questionnaires
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