Anthony DiLorenzo, backed by President Trump and the top three House Republican leaders, clinched the GOP nomination in New Hampshire's competitive 1st Congressional District, setting up a general election fight in a seat Democrats held for years.
DiLorenzo, a businessman, defeated business owner Hollie Noveletsky and state Rep. Brian Cole in Tuesday night's Republican primary, Fox News Digital reported. The win hands Trump another primary endorsement victory and gives Republicans a candidate hand-picked by the party's top brass in one of the most closely watched House races heading into November.
The seat opened up because Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas chose to leave and run for the U.S. Senate instead. That decision turned a district rated D+2 by the Cook Partisan Voting Index, meaning it leans slightly Democratic, into a genuine pickup opportunity for the GOP. New Hampshire's 1st District is the smaller of the state's two congressional districts geographically but includes Manchester, the state's most populous city.
DiLorenzo collected endorsements from President Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a sweep of the Republican leadership chain that few primary candidates in competitive districts can claim. Trump posted his endorsement on Truth Social in July.
"As a very successful Businessman and Entrepreneur, Anthony understands the America First Policies required to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Champion our Nation's Golden Age."
That level of institutional backing made DiLorenzo the clear establishment-plus-MAGA favorite, a combination that doesn't always materialize. In other 2026 primaries, Trump's endorsement has produced mixed results, with some of his picks falling short. In New Hampshire, the endorsement held.
Noveletsky, who owns Novel Iron Works, ran with the backing of Rep. Virginia Foxx, the House Rules Committee chairwoman, and what Fox News described as "a slew of New Hampshire state officials." But that local support was not enough to overcome the weight of the national party apparatus lining up behind DiLorenzo.
The race's most heated exchange centered on illegal immigration, and specifically on comments DiLorenzo made on a podcast called "The Granite Discourse." Both Noveletsky and Cole seized on those remarks during a debate hosted by WMUR earlier in the month.
Noveletsky framed the contrast bluntly during the debate:
"Unlike Anthony, who is on record on Granite Discourse saying that if somebody came here illegally and was working that they should have a path, I disagree."
DiLorenzo responded by emphasizing enforcement priorities. He told debate viewers he would start with the most dangerous illegal immigrants first.
"I would start with the dangerous people, the criminals, the drug dealers, the human traffickers. The law is clear, and I support law enforcement and the enforcement of our laws."
The full context of DiLorenzo's original podcast comments was not available in the reporting, and the exchange left open the question of whether he had, in fact, endorsed any form of legal pathway for working illegal immigrants, or whether Noveletsky's characterization was a stretch. What is clear is that the attack did not land hard enough to cost him the nomination. Republican primary voters in the district sided with Trump's pick.
The RNC has warned Republican candidates that distancing themselves from Trump risks depressing GOP turnout in the midterms. DiLorenzo's win suggests that in New Hampshire, at least, alignment with the president remains a primary-season asset.
On the Democratic side, DiLorenzo will face Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who narrowly won her own primary. The New York Post reported that Shaheen defeated Marine veteran Maura Sullivan by roughly 1,700 votes, taking 37.3% to Sullivan's 35.0%. Nearly 39% of Shaheen's campaign donations, about $740,000, came from donors who had previously given to her mother, according to a Politico analysis cited by the Post.
The Shaheen family name carries weight in New Hampshire Democratic politics. Jeanne Shaheen served as governor starting in 1996 and has held her Senate seat since 2008. Her daughter ran on a progressive platform, calling for "Medicare for all" and positioning herself as a change candidate.
DiLorenzo, for his part, has framed his candidacy in business terms. "Our campaign is about prosperity," he said. "I believe that Washington, DC, needs more pragmatic businesspeople."
That general election matchup, a Trump-endorsed businessman against a Democratic political dynasty's next generation, will test whether the district's slight Democratic lean holds or whether Republicans can flip a seat they have been eyeing for cycles. The broader 2026 landscape remains challenging for Republicans in several Senate contests, making House pickups all the more critical for the party's midterm math.
New Hampshire holds one of the last primaries in the nation, a scheduling quirk that compresses the general election window. Newsmax reported that winners have only about eight weeks to campaign before the November 3 general election, though state legislators passed a law this year moving future primaries to June.
The compressed timeline could work for or against DiLorenzo. He enters the general election with national name recognition from the Trump endorsement and a fundraising apparatus that the full Republican leadership has reason to support. But the D+2 rating means he will need to win over voters outside the GOP base in a short window.
The last Republican to run for the seat with Trump's endorsement was Karoline Leavitt, who went on to serve as White House Press Secretary. Leavitt lost to Pappas in 2022 by just under 10 points, a gap that suggests the district is winnable for Democrats even when Republicans field a high-profile candidate. Pappas's departure, however, removes an incumbent advantage that had kept the seat in Democratic hands.
Sen. Shaheen's retirement triggered competitive races up and down the New Hampshire ballot, including a crowded GOP Senate primary featuring two former senators she had previously defeated, John E. Sununu and Scott Brown. That broader electoral chaos means both parties will be spending heavily across the state, and NH-01 will be one of several races drawing national money and attention. Trump's own MAGA PAC has already shown willingness to pour millions into key 2026 races elsewhere.
DiLorenzo cleared his primary with the full weight of the Republican establishment behind him. Now he faces a general election opponent who carries a famous last name and a donor network built over three decades of family politics. The question is whether Trump's endorsement and a law-and-order message on immigration can flip a seat that has leaned blue, or whether New Hampshire's 1st District stays in the column it has occupied for years.
Voters in November will decide whether they want a businessman who pledged to enforce the law or a political heir who wants to expand government healthcare. That contrast could not be sharper, and in a district decided by thin margins, every week of the eight-week sprint will matter.
