Anthony DiLorenzo, the Republican nominee in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, often touts his success in business on the campaign trail. As Election Day nears, however, Democrats are questioning why his federal campaign disclosures appear to minimize his wealth and fail to list expected assets such as a checking or savings account.
The state Democratic Party is also raising concerns about a series of loans DiLorenzo received from a car dealership he founded, shortly before he then loaned money to his own campaign.
“These are serious questions: Where is the money coming from? What does he own?” Kathy Sullivan, the former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said at a press conference Tuesday. “Mr. DiLorenzo needs to answer those questions.”
The fresh attacks come as DiLorenzo, a first-time candidate for office, takes on Democrat Stefany Shaheen in a closely-watched congressional race. A recent poll showed the two candidates in a statistical tie for the seat being vacated by incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas.
DiLorenzo launched Key Auto Group, a successful chain of car dealerships that employs more than 1,000 people. He also owns Planet Fitness franchises, has been involved in hotel development, and was the winning bidder for the redevelopment of the high-profile McIntyre building in downtown Portsmouth. His main residence — an island estate in Portsmouth — has an assessed value of more than $12.5 million.
In a statement, DiLorenzo’s campaign said he set up trusts in New Hampshire to “protect his businesses, his family that he loves beyond measure, and charitable causes he cares about.”
“Anthony borrows money from those trusts periodically, but the money was earned by his own hard work,” a campaign spokesperson added.
The Federal Election Committee said it could not comment on whether it had opened an investigation into DiLorenzo, citing confidentiality rules.
This isn’t the first time DiLorenzo’s assets have come under scrutiny. Reporting by WMUR this summer documented dozens of businesses linked to the candidate, and tens of millions of dollars of real estate connected to those entities, none of which appears as assets on his federal campaign forms.
In May, DiLorenzo’s federal financial disclosure estimated his worth at between $1.8 million and $6.7 million. His disclosed assets included trusts, a retirement account worth under $1 million, and several entities based offshore in Turks and Caicos, a set of islands in the Caribbean that are a British territory.
At the time, DiLorenzo said that his campaign team worked closely with regulators to ensure he was complying with disclosure rules. DiLorenzo is retired from the auto dealerships he founded, the campaign said, and “does not receive regular compensation.”
During this year’s Republican primary, DiLorenzo loaned his campaign $1.75 million, including two initial contributions of $450,000 and $350,000 in December 2025 and March 2026. His financial disclosures show that during those same two months, DiLorenzo took personal loans from Portsmouth Chevrolet, a car dealership he founded.
New Hampshire Democrats contend that the transactions may violate campaign finance laws, which prohibit corporate contributions directly to candidates.
Public filings show the state of New Hampshire placed a lien on DiLorenzo in 2025 for failing to pay $174,232 in taxes on income and dividends. That lien has since been paid off.
Along with his business interests, DiLorenzo’s philanthropy includes a $4 million gift to the University of New Hampshire in 2023, which came with naming rights for the school’s hockey facility. He has also donated to various non-profits around Portsmouth, including The Music Hall, Prescott Park and the NH Film Festival, according to his website.
Stefany Shaheen’s federal disclosures estimated her net worth between $800,000 and $2 million. In addition to rental properties in Portsmouth and Dover, Shaheen listed dozens of relatively small holdings in mutual funds through her retirement account, as well as personal checking accounts.
Before running for Congress, Shaheen worked as a consultant for ARMI, a federally-funded biotech project in Manchester led by inventor Dean Kamen. Tax records show she received more than $153,000 in compensation in 2024 for her work for the non-profit. Her mother, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, has been a vocal backer of the project, helping to direct millions of dollars in federal funding to it.
