Noveletsky Hits DiLorenzo On Immigration 'Amnesty' In 1st Congressional District GOP Primary Ad

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

First Congressional District candidate Hollie Noveletsky has thrown the first punch in the GOP primary, hitting political newcomer Anthony DiLorenzo on the immigration issue.

In a new ad that the campaign promises “will be seen by voters across the district,” Noveletsky says, “Anthony DiLorenzo supports amnesty,” and links his position to former President Joe Biden’s.

“Anthony DiLorenzo: Backing Biden’s policies. Wrong on immigration.”

DiLorenzo hit right back, dismissing the ad as “outlandish lies” and Noveletsky as “an inferior candidate.”

The ad features a clip from a Jan. 28 interview DiLorenzo gave on The Granite Discourse podcast.

Asked how the U.S. should deal with people who have come here illegally, DiLorenzo said that “anybody who’s a felon, violent criminal, whatever, needs to go.”

DiLorenzo denounced the Biden administration for spending four years refusing to enforce immigration law. But he suggested it was unfair for the government to turn around and deport illegal immigrants who are part of the American workforce.

“You’re going to ship some poor person that came here and is working and paying taxes out of the country, and spend all your resources shipping tens of millions of people who are productive out of the country? That doesn’t sound like it makes a lot of sense.

“So, if somebody’s paying taxes — they’re not a convicted felon, they’re contributing to society — I don’t mind having a pathway,” DiLorenzo said.

Noveletsky says he’s wrong.

“He used job status as the determining factor for letting illegals stay. But as an advocate for the American worker over the past 25 years in the structural steel industry, I know that doing so takes job opportunities away from American citizens and undercuts their wages,” said Noveletsky, CEO of Novel Iron Works in Greenland, N.H.

“Anthony’s position doesn’t align with President Trump’s America First agenda, and I don’t think it’s good policy.”

In a NHJournal/Praecones Analytica poll taken last month, Granite State Republicans overwhelmingly supported deporting illegal immigrants (77 percent), regardless of whether they had committed additional crimes. Only 18 percent supported DiLorenzo’s position that those without criminal records should be allowed to stay.

DiLorenzo’s response to the ad?

“Attacking fellow Republicans with outlandish lies rather than focusing on the issues facing Granite Staters reveals both her lack of character and her desperation as an inferior candidate,” he said. “I will continue to communicate my message that a pragmatic, commonsense business approach to politics is much needed in Washington.”

Despite being a first-time candidate, DiLorenzo is widely viewed in GOP insider circles as the frontrunner in the GOP primary, due largely to his financial advantages. The owner of Key Auto Group and a successful developer, DiLorenzo reported nearly $850,000 in campaign fundraising at the end of 2025, including a $450,000 loan to the campaign.

And while Noveletsky’s ad labels her the pro-Trump, America First candidate in the race, DiLorenzo was just endorsed by Steve Stepanek, former state GOP chair and senior adviser to President Trump’s 2024 campaign.

“It’s time for New Hampshire Republicans to rally around Anthony DiLorenzo,” Stepanek said in a statement.

The immigration issue is hot among Republicans. But veteran GOP strategist Patrick Griffin wonders what it will do for the nominee in November.

“Noveletsky’s ad would have been a great spot in the 2024 cycle,” Griffin said. “Immigration still works with the base, but this needs to be about more than winning a primary in a state where independents will determine the general election outcome.”

Polls show Stefany Shaheen, daughter of retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, is leading the Democrats’ primary. If so, political professionals say her name will make her a formidable candidate in a state where Republicans have lost every federal race but one since 2010.

In addition to DiLorenzo and Noveletsky, Bedford GOP activist Melissa Bailey and state Rep. Brian Cole of Manchester are seeking the NH-01 Republican nomination.

The primary is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2026, to fill the open seat left by incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

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.