Less than a week after former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu shook up the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race by announcing he is considering entering the GOP primary, a Seacoast businessman with deep pockets and D.C. support may do the same thing in the 1st Congressional District.
Anthony DiLorenzo, owner of the Key Auto Group and a developer, confirmed to NHJournal he is “seriously considering a run for Congress.”
Unlike Sununu, DiLorenzo is not a former officeholder or a household name in New Hampshire politics. But he is well known in GOP circles for his financial contributions and candidate support. For example, he was a major donor to both Gov. Chris Sununu and Karoline Leavitt in the 2022 election cycle.
“New Hampshire has provided me an incredible opportunity to raise my family in a safe and caring community while starting and growing a business that has exceeded my greatest expectations,” DiLorenzo said Sunday.
“I’m blessed to have called New Hampshire home for more than 40 years and look forward to the possibility of serving our great state. I expect to decide in the next month or so.”
There are already three declared GOP candidates in the NH-01 primary: Bedford GOP Committee Vice Chair Melissa Bailey, businessman and military veteran Chris Bright, and state Rep. Brian Cole (R-Manchester).
Hollie Noveletsky, owner of Novel Iron Works and current vice chair of the state GOP, ran in the 2024 primary (as did Bright), and she has been strongly hinting at another run. Asked if her decision would be impacted by DiLorenzo entering the race, Noveletsky told NHJournal, “No, not at all.”
“The only factors influencing my decision have been ensuring the right time and that the support is there. I am confident in what I would bring to the table, regardless of who else is considering a run. Competition is good.”
Noveletsky said her final decision would be coming shortly.
Granite State Republicans have a poor track record at the federal level, having lost every race except one since the 2010 Tea Party wave. (Former U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta won back NH-01 for a single term in 2014.) And most political insiders have little confidence that is likely to change in 2026, with the GOP controlling the White House and the historic trend of a party-out-of-power midterm surge.
In addition, popular Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas is running for U.S. Senate and is the likely nominee. And Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter Stefany is bringing the family legacy into the Democrats’ NH-01 primary as well. Add in President Donald Trump’s weak poll numbers in New Hampshire (43 percent favorable, 57 percent unfavorable in the latest St. Anselm College Survey Center poll), and the GOP’s 2026 forecast was gloomy at best.
Sununu’s announcement has political weather watchers recalculating. If nothing else, his candidacy could bring a level of national financial support for the U.S. Senate race that could benefit the entire GOP ticket.
Former GOP state party chair Chris Ager thinks DiLorenzo’s decision could have a similar impact in the NH-01 race.
“Anthony is an incredibly talented businessman and philanthropist. If he gets into the race, everything changes,” Ager told NHJournal.
Why the change? With the battle to control the U.S. House of Representatives so tight that Trump is pushing states to do mid-decade redistricting, there is great interest among national Republicans in every potentially competitive seat. If DiLorenzo can put together a campaign with the message and funding D.C. believes can put the district in play, the belief is that serious financial support from D.C. will follow.
At the same time, no Republican has gotten within five points of winning the seat since Guinta.
“A lot of Republicans know who he is, but nobody knows what kind of candidate he will be,” one longtime GOP insider told NHJournal of DiLorenzo. “But if his bio and finances get D.C. to get involved, especially if John E. (Sununu) runs, that could help the whole party.”
