Trump, House GOP Leaders Endorse DiLorenzo In 1st Congressional District GOP Primary

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

President Donald Trump endorsed businessman and longtime GOP donor Anthony DiLorenzo in the NH-01 GOP primary on Monday.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Anthony DiLorenzo, who is running to represent the fantastic people of New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District!” the president posted on social media.

“Anthony DiLorenzo has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

DiLorenzo, who is making his first bid for public office, announced on the NHJournal podcast Friday that his campaign reported more than $1 million in its second-quarter campaign finance report, about $800,000 of it from the candidate himself. His campaign says he has more than $1.1 million in cash on hand.

Trump’s endorsement will add to DiLorenzo’s momentum in a race in which few primary voters have made up their minds.

“I am incredibly honored to receive President Trump’s endorsement. President Trump’s America First agenda is lowering costs, raising wages, creating jobs, and helping Granite Staters achieve the American Dream,” DiLorenzo said.

“As a self-made businessman who has created over 1,000 jobs, I look forward to working with the President to deliver results, make life more affordable for Granite Staters, and preserve the land of opportunity for generations to come.”

Later that afternoon, DiLorenzo was endorsed by the U.S. House GOP leadership in what appeared to be a coordinated effort.

“Anthony DiLorenzo is an entrepreneur who embodies the American Dream and will help us continue to deliver safe streets, secure borders, a strong economy, and peace through strength,” read the statement from Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain.

“We are proud to ENDORSE Anthony DiLorenzo for New Hampshire’s 1st District and look forward to working with him to defend and grow our House Republican majority and CONTINUE our American comeback!”

Holly Noveletsky, a business owner and military veteran, has led in the polls thus far, but by a narrow margin and with support hovering in the teens. Bedford Republican activist Melissa Bailey and Rep. Brian Cole, R-Manchester, are also in the race.

Interestingly, while DiLorenzo has picked up Trump’s endorsement, he has been reluctant to identify himself as a MAGA candidate. During his candidacy filing at the New Hampshire secretary of state’s office, DiLorenzo was asked whether he is the MAGA candidate in the race.

“I wouldn’t put labels on me. I certainly support most of the, actually all of the — well, a large percentage — of the president on the issues,” DiLorenzo said. “What I mean by that is peace through strength, lower taxes, smaller government, domestic energy production. So if you call that MAGA, sure.”

Noveletsky, on the other hand, is running ads declaring herself the “pro-Trump,” “America First” candidate in the primary.

The National Republican Congressional Committee wasted no time touting the news.

“Anthony DiLorenzo didn’t inherit success; he worked for it. He built a successful business from the ground up, created jobs, and lived the American Dream,” NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement.

“Now, he’s running to flip this seat red, and President Trump knows he’s the man for the job. DiLorenzo has the real-world experience and determination to deliver the representation that Granite Staters deserve.”

The GOP’s 2022 NH-01 nominee, Karoline Leavitt, also weighed in on the news.

“Congratulations to my friend, Anthony DiLorenzo,” the White House press secretary said. “He will be a fantastic representative for New Hampshire!”

Leavitt lost to Rep. Chris Pappas that year, one of five consecutive Republicans to go down to defeat in the 1st Congressional District. Asked about the uphill climb he faces in the district, particularly in a midterm election with an unpopular president in the White House, DiLorenzo said Democrats are helping him close the deal.

“If you listen to the media, Hillary should have won the presidency in 2016,” DiLorenzo said. “I think the Democrats have given us a great gift. We thought they would recover from DEI and their woke policies, and now they’ve doubled down on socialism and candidates with Nazi tattoos.”

DEVELOPING…

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.