Eric Brakey campaigns in Norway in 2020. Brakey has left Maine and now lives in New Hampshire. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file

Just before the polls opened in November, state Sen. Eric Brakey of Auburn resigned from his elected position and announced that he had moved to New Hampshire.

The libertarian-minded Republican had cast his vote in the Granite State, his new home.

Brakey said this month he is now “enjoying the number one state for freedom in America” while he focuses on “organizing big events for next year, including the 22nd Porcupine Freedom Festival” in the town of Lancaster.

Brakey, an Ohio native, is the executive director of the Free State Project in New Hampshire, which aims to convince libertarians to move to the Granite State.

He said that New Hampshire is welcoming to people who seek less government intrusion into their daily lives and businesses.

It has no income or sales tax, he said, and offers “robust school choice programs, no waiting periods on firearm purchases” or even mandatory seat belt laws.

“The strong communities of libertarians are the best part” of living in New Hampshire, Brakey said.

His departure from Maine provided an opening for former state Rep. Bruce Bickford, an Auburn Republican, to win the state Senate seat in the 20th District that Brakey had held before he decided to move away.

Brakey had a higher profile than most Maine legislators. He twice sought higher office in the Pine Tree State without success, including a 2018 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Angus King, an independent.

A former actor, Brakey got started in Maine politics in 2012 as director of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign in the state. He remains a big fan of the former member of Congress from Texas.