Before the debate at Grace Ministries International church even began, the moderator had an offer for the candidates on stage. It was warm inside the unairconditioned Brentwood church. Would they like to take off their suit jackets before they got down to business?
Hollie Noveletsky, Anthony DiLorenzo, and Brian Cole, all candidates in the Republican race for the state’s 1st Congressional District, declined. Perhaps they weren’t feeling the heat.
Or perhaps, with just three weeks until the primary, they wanted to show they can take it.
In this race, it isn’t necessarily policy differences that will help voters make up their minds. With the candidates largely in line with the Trump administration on issues big and small, they are instead touting their business records, biographies and professional accomplishments.
Read more 2026 midterms coverage from NHPR
“I can tell you in the business world, I've never once sat down to solve an issue or problem by saying, ‘I'm a Republican’ or ‘I'm a Democrat’ or anything like that,” said DiLorenzo, a Portsmouth resident who owns a chain of car dealerships. “We just identify issues and we come up with solutions.”
Noveletsky, who runs her family’s steel fabrication company in the town of Greenland, is quick to tout its success, and the need to create more domestic manufacturing jobs.
“I have been fighting for the American worker for 25 years at the state, regional and national level on ‘Buy American,’” Noveletsky said. “And long after I leave D.C., I will continue to fight because I believe in the American worker and I believe in New Hampshire.”
Cole, who is finishing his second term as a state representative from Manchester, touted his time leading a family-owned tool importing company.
“I've had a very successful career here,” he told the debate audience. “New Hampshire has been very good to me, and it's my turn to give back to you people.”
What voters are looking for
For the past eight years, the 1st Congressional District, which stretches from the Seacoast to Manchester, has been held by Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. But with Pappas running for U.S. Senate this year, Republicans see an opportunity to win back the seat.
That was evident during the Brentwood debate, when a large crowd filed in to hear from the candidates on the issues most important to them.
“Well, obviously the economy, fuel prices, crime — and immigration ties into a lot of that,” said Rick Bless, a retired postal worker who wore a cap emblazoned with "47" on it, in honor of Donald Trump, the 47th president.
Bless said he was most familiar with Novelesky, as she ran for this same seat two years ago and finished a close second in the Republican primary. But he was eager to hear from all three candidates about another top concern: housing.
“Because I have one young child that still can't get into a home because of the way the market is . . . so crazy in New Hampshire,” said Bless.
A few chairs over, Steve Bates from Hampstead came with a similar goal in mind. He wants to get beyond the ads and mailers that are now blanketing the district, and try to make some real decisions about who to back.
Bates is in the pharmaceutical industry, and wants to see less government.
“I see that the higher taxes just are not beneficial. It just adds more government corruption,” he said. “So to me, that's the biggest issue: low tax, high freedom.”
On the trail
DiLorenzo got a boost in the race last month, when despite being a first-time candidate for office, he received the endorsement of Trump.
I caught up with him at a car show in Portsmouth a few weeks ago, where despite owning a chain of dealerships, he said cars aren’t really his thing any more: “I'd rather be on a boat than a car, actually. Or a Harley.”
Motorists on Interstate 95 won’t be surprised to hear that: His campaign has posted a huge billboard with DiLorenzo atop a motorcycle.
Read more: With summer campaign season coming to an end, Democratic voters in NH's CD1 must soon decide
He told me he supported the president’s agenda, including military action against Iran.
“I certainly don't want to see any boots on the ground over there, but I also don't want to see those crazy people have a nuclear weapon,” said DiLorenzo. “It's a tough situation. It really is.”
He added that he believes, in the long run, the Iran war will ultimately bring down fuel prices.
Wandering around the parking lot, I met Ron Baisden from Portsmouth, an independent voter who isn’t sure which party primary he may vote in. On the war with Iran, he said “that should have never, ever started.” He told me that it's affecting kitchen table issues for people in the state.
“Gas prices seem to be the No. 1 issue that drives everything else,” he said.
That’s a message Novelsky, in her campaign, is acknowledging.
“The issues here in New Hampshire are really affordability," she said during the debate in Brentwood. “Kitchen table issues: housing, health care, energy and jobs.”
Read more 2026 midterms coverage from NHPR
A military veteran and nurse who also loves to talk about her cross-country motorcycle trips, Novelesky has taken jabs at DiLorenzo for previous statements saying that some undocumented migrants who work and pay taxes could have a pathway to citizenship. DiLorenzo, for his part, stressed his support for mass deportations during the debate.
Another tentpole of the Novelesky campaign is a series of short videos filmed on the factory floor with her employees. Dubbed “Steeling Time,” they are meant to show how at ease she is with the workers powering her business.
Experience in office
Cole was born and raised in New Hampshire, something he is quick to point out during the debate. After retiring from his tool importing company, he turned his attention to state politics, serving two terms in Concord.
He told voters in the audience at the debate that his experience was an asset worth considering.
“When I go down to Washington, Day 1, I'm going to be able to hit the ground running,” he said. “I already have a proven track record up in Concord that you can look at.”
Cole said if elected, he would focus on growing the biotech sector in New Hampshire, and returning as many federal dollars as possible to the state.
“My passion is to get as much funding, as much stuff accomplished, for the state of New Hampshire, as possible,” he said.
There is a fourth declared Republican candidate in this race: Lindsey Anderson of Moultonborough. He was at the debate, but wasn’t invited to be on stage.
In the audience, Lois DeYoung sat inside the steamy Brentwood church with a feeling of pride for the current state of her party.
From her view, Trump is winning, the economy is booming, and infrastructure is getting upgraded. It’s all going according to plan.
“My issues are not with my own party,” said DeYoung. “I got these three candidates, or four, they are good guys. There isn't one I would have a problem with if they got elected. I am very worried about the Democrat side.”
I heard this repeatedly from voters in the crowd: That the success of a handful of democratic socialist-aligned candidates in races elsewhere signals an immediate threat to the country. Even if candidates like that don’t appear to be making much traction in New Hampshire.
Regardless, the GOP candidates in this race for the 1st Congressional District are stressing that they’re the antidote: Business backgrounds with roots in the state, ready to back the Trump agenda.
Republican voters now have to decide which one should advance to the November ballot.
Locally produced, locally powered
Behind the headlines you read on our website, there’s a dedicated team of journalists working hard to bring you local news you can trust. On any given day, that can look like:
- • Reporters hustling to track down sources, get the facts and hold powerful officials accountable
- • Producers coordinating interviews with people who offer perspectives that go beyond soundbites
- • Editors carefully vetting our stories to make sure they’re accurate, fair and easy to follow
I believe that journalists, when we do our jobs well, can play a crucial role in connecting people and making communities stronger. But we can’t do this work without you.
Your donations, in any amount, can help keep independent journalism vibrant in New Hampshire — and accessible to everyone, no paywall required.
Sincerely,
Dan Barrick
News Director
