Stefany Shaheen Wins NH-1 Open Seat Over DiLorenzo

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Associated Press called the race at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, and by then the outcome in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District was never in doubt. Stefany Shaheen, 52, the daughter of retiring U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, defeated Republican Anthony DiLorenzo in a contest that national parties treated as a formality, The Boston Globe reported. What was once dubbed the “swingiest swing” congressional seat in the country—bouncing between parties from 2006 to 2016—has not produced a competitive general election in years, and Tuesday night proved no exception.

The open seat, created when incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas opted to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Shaheen’s mother, drew national attention precisely because of that family connection and President Trump’s endorsement of DiLorenzo. Yet Trump’s deep unpopularity in the district, where Kamala Harris won by 2 points in 2024, meant the race was never competitive by either national party’s standards.

From Issues to Attacks

The primaries were where the real debates happened. Shaheen eked out a win in the September Democratic primary against New Hampshire Democratic Party Vice Chair Maura Sullivan and Hampton Select Board member Carleigh Beriont, trailing just days earlier before securing a last-minute endorsement of Medicare for All—a position her mother has never supported. She also persuaded another rival to drop out and endorse her, and benefited from third-party spending on television ads.

DiLorenzo, Shaheen fighting for open 1st District seat

DiLorenzo, despite Trump’s backing, faced his own competitive primary challenge from businesswoman Hollie Noveletsky, whose support surged in the final days according to polling.

Once the general election began, the focus shifted away from policy and toward personal attacks. Republicans ran millions of dollars in ads attacking “silver spoon Shaheen,” while Democrats countered by accusing DiLorenzo of breaking federal law by concealing his wealth on financial disclosure forms.

Democrat Stefany Shaheen just beat Republican Anthony DiLorenzo for an open seat in NH-01.https://t.co/6bK3SIeqY5

— https://x.com/politico/status/2117807798293803322

The Money and the Island

DiLorenzo, a college dropout who says he started 40 businesses, pumped $6 million of his own money into the race and lives on a private island in Portsmouth. He maintained that the bulk of his money had been placed in trusts long before he ran for Congress as part of an estate plan.

Shaheen, a former Portsmouth city councilor, took the stage at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester shortly before 9:15 p.m. to celebrate. She was joined by a dozen family members, including her mother and her father, William Shaheen.

A District That Stopped Swinging

New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District includes Manchester, the Seacoast, and the Lakes Region. No Republican has won an election to federal office in the district since Frank Guinta won the seat in 2014, and Pappas has held it since 2018. The demographic and political gravity of the district has shifted decisively toward Democrats in the Trump era, making Tuesday’s result predictable even as it adds another Shaheen to the state’s federal delegation.

Going forward, Shaheen said she aims to become a leader in improving health research, an area in which she has been involved for much of her career. She also told supporters she is glad the hard-fought campaign is over and she can head to Washington to help bring an end to the Iran war, rein in Trump’s tariffs, address elevated costs, and protect women’s reproductive health care.