Bedford Republican Melissa Bailey has suspended her campaign for her party’s nomination in the 1st Congressional District, and said she will endorse Portsmouth businessman Anthony DiLorenzo.
Her move follows President Trump’s endorsement of DiLorenzo earlier this week.
“After prayerful consideration and putting my family and our beloved Granite State first, I have decided to suspend my campaign for Congress,” Bailey wrote in a social media post Thursday. “While I entered this race with a servant’s heart and deep conviction, I believe stepping aside now is what is best for our Republican Party to win up and down the ballot in this critical election.”
Polling indicates the GOP primary in the 1st District remains up for grabs.
A recent Saint Anselm College poll found more than half of likely Republican voters remain undecided. The same poll found Hollie Noveletsky, who owns Novel Iron Works in Greenland, at 16% and DiLorenzo at 13%. Bailey was in single digits in that poll.
According to the latest campaign finance receipts on file with the Federal Election Commission, Bailey reported about $210,000, and of that amount, she loaned her campaign $126,500.
DiLorenzo, who owns a string of car dealerships, has largely self-funded his campaign so far. His latest FEC filing shows he loaned his campaign $1.6 million.
The state primary is Sept. 8.
