House Speaker Johnson Predicts DiLorenzo Win In November: 'Dems Heads Will Explode!'

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told New Hampshire Republicans in Portsmouth Wednesday night that Anthony DiLorenzo will win the NH01 race over Democrat Stefany Shaheen, and when he does, watch out.

“On election night, the polls close on the East Coast first, and then it fans across the country. Everybody’s going to be watching New Hampshire’s First District,” Johnson said. “And when this guy gets elected on election night, Democrats’ heads are going to explode, and I’m going to have a great time.”

The speaker is touring competitive House seats nationwide. “I’m going to do 40 congressional districts in 22 states this month alone,” he told the Portsmouth crowd, but few GOP races are as high-profile as DiLorenzo’s.

“Among the swing districts that everybody in America is watching, this is one of the top five,” Johnson told supporters. “Now, they have this one leaning D, but I don’t believe that.”

Johnson called DiLorenzo an “all-star recruit,” saying his business success and philanthropy made him the kind of colleague the speaker wants in Washington.

“I don’t need show ponies. I need workhorses. Anthony DiLorenzo is one of the workhorses,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t wait to get here with Anthony because this district is so important,” Johnson said.

Johnson painted an optimistic portrait of the midterm election, despite polls showing Democrats are very likely to win a majority of House seats in a brutal, anti-GOP environment. Johnson told the crowd Republicans will “defy history.”

“It’s only happened twice in 90 years that a sitting president has picked up seats for his party in that first two-year cycle. But can I make a prediction for you? Twenty nights from tonight, we’re going to be celebrating victory in NH-01.”

“Don’t believe those polls. The Democrats and the mainstream media are trying to dissuade our voters. They’re trying to discourage turnout because they know that if we turn out, we will win this election,” Johnson said.

Johnson also portrayed the election as a choice between Republican policies and a Democratic Party moving toward socialism. Without naming Shaheen, he said DiLorenzo’s opponent would “jump on board the socialist train” if elected.

For their part, national Democrats used Johnson’s visit to tie DiLorenzo to the speaker’s record and Trump’s agenda. In a statement Wednesday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Riya Vashi criticized Johnson over health care costs and tariffs.

“No number of campaign stops will change the fact that New Hampshire is fed up,” Vashi said.

A small group of protesters greeted Johnson at the event.

Naomi Kornhauser of Durham said she was protesting because Johnson “does everything that our so-called president wants, and most of it is pretty dreadful.”

“I want them to protect democracy,” Kornhauser told NHJournal.

Beth Steucek of Portsmouth listed “the economy, the war, the tariffs” among her concerns and said Congress and the Senate needed to show more leadership.

Asked whether she wanted lawmakers to stand up to Trump, Steucek replied, “Absolutely.”

Inside, Johnson and DiLorenzo emphasized the Republican legislative record. Johnson touted tax cuts, business investment provisions, immigration enforcement and school choice, arguing Republicans need reinforcements to continue their agenda.

DiLorenzo let Johnson do most of the talking, but he made a specific pitch to voters on why they should back him over Shaheen: their pocketbooks.

“Some people think that politics don’t matter, but the legislation that the speaker was responsible for (the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) saved New Hampshire families $4,600 a piece, no tax on tests, no tax on Social Security for seniors. My opponent has said publicly she wants to repeal that. That’s money out of your pocket.”

Johnson described 2026 as a “bridge election,” recounting advice from former Speaker Newt Gingrich that Republicans need to hold their majority through the midterms to position themselves for future gains.

But he said his immediate focus was New Hampshire, which would help set the tone as election returns begin coming in on the East Coast.

“This is not just for your district, not just for New Hampshire,” Johnson said. “It’s for all of America, and I am not overstating it.”

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.