N.H. businessman Anthony DiLorenzo mounts GOP congressional bid
Anthony DiLorenzo, a businessman who has long donated to Republican candidates in New Hampshire, launched a campaign of his own on Tuesday for the GOP nomination in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, where a wide-open race is taking shape.
In the six months since Democratic incumbent Representative Chris Pappas announced he would mount a bid for US Senate in 2026 rather than seek re-election, a dozen people have stepped forward to run for either party’s nomination to succeed him in the competitive district, which has historically swung back and forth between Republicans and Democrats.
DiLorenzo, a real estate developer who owns the Key Auto Group chain of car dealerships and service centers, said he’s running because people are struggling and politicians in Washington, D.C., are divided and “lacking common sense.”
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“The greatest decision I ever made in business was choosing to build my life in New Hampshire,” he said in a statement. “This state has given me a lot, but I am deeply concerned that the next generation will not have the same opportunities to live their American Dream as I did.”
DiLorenzo, who is aligned with President Trump, is campaigning on a platform that calls for promoting border security and immigration reform, opposing federal legislation on abortion, protecting the 2017 tax cuts, requiring a balanced federal budget, and more.
“Congress needs more problem solvers with an entrepreneurial mindset,” he said.
DiLorenzo is joining a GOP primary that is already contested among several candidates, but his entry into the race comes with relatively high expectations, as one of his would-be opponents, Chris Bright, pre-emptively dropped out of the race late last month and said he was clearing the way for a certain well-resourced candidate he knows and respects. The other Republicans still in the race include Hollie Noveletsky, Brian Cole, Melissa Bailey, and Elizabeth Girard.
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On the Democratic side, the declared candidates include Stefany Shaheen, Maura Sullivan, Christian Urrutia, Carleigh Beriont, Heath Howard, and Sarah Chadzynski.
While analysts generally describe New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District as more competitive between Republicans and Democrats than the state’s other congressional district, a Trump-backed mid-decade redistricting effort could shift this district to favor Republicans, though that effort faces resistance from Republican Governor Kelly A. Ayotte.
Steven Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @reporterporter.