Questions Conservative Voters Should Demand Answers To Before September 8

The 2026 Republican primary for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District is a two-candidate race, and that is a gift. With only two names on the ballot, there is nowhere to hide. Victor Orlando, a Hollis construction business owner making his first run for office, faces Lily Tang Williams, a real estate investor and Chinese-born immigrant who narrowly lost the CD02 general election to Democrat Maggie Goodlander in 2024 by a margin of 52.9% to 47.0%, roughly 24,000 votes.

A serious primary is not a pep rally. It is an audit. The goal is to force clarity on priorities, trade-offs, and the kind of backbone that survives a Wednesday-night leadership meeting in Washington. Conservative voters in CD02 deserve that clarity before September 8, not after.

Questions for Both Candidates

On Spending and the Federal Budget

Government overspending is a root cause of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis crushing New Hampshire families. Name the three specific spending programs you would cut first, and by how much. Vague promises about “reducing waste” are not answers. Give us a concrete fiscal rule you support: a cap on spending growth, a balanced budget by a specific year, or a debt-to-GDP target. And tell us this: under what conditions would you vote no on a must-pass spending bill, even if it means a government shutdown?

On Immigration and Border Security

Both candidates cite immigration as a top concern. Specifics matter. What is your concrete plan for the southern border in the first 100 days? Where do you stand on asylum reform, interior enforcement, E-Verify mandates, visa overstays, and cartel interdiction? Do you support ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, and would you vote for legislation to that effect? What metrics will you publish so voters can measure your progress?

On the Second Amendment

New Hampshire has a strong gun-rights culture. Would you vote to repeal any existing federal gun control law, including red flag law provisions and restrictions on suppressors? What new restrictions, if any, would you refuse to accept under any circumstances? Where, if anywhere, do you draw the line on federal firearms regulation?

On Federal Overreach and the Administrative State

The Department of Education, the EPA, and dozens of other federal agencies impose mandates that undermine local control. Which agencies would you work to eliminate or drastically reduce, and how would you use the power of the House purse to do it? What is your standard for federal surveillance, including FISA reauthorization, warrantless data purchases from brokers, and domestic intelligence collection? What reforms can you defend in court?

On Energy and Prices

Pick two: cheap energy, low emissions, energy independence. How do you reconcile them, specifically? New Hampshire ratepayers are paying some of the highest electricity prices in the country. What federal policy changes would you push to bring those costs down?

On China and Trade

What is your approach to tariffs, supply chains, and China-linked land purchases in the United States? Where is the line between strategic decoupling and self-inflicted inflation? CD02 has manufacturers and small businesses that depend on global supply chains. How do you protect them while standing firm against Beijing?

On Foreign Policy and War Powers

What triggers justify American aid or military involvement abroad? Who has war-making authority, and what will you do as a member of Congress to restore it? Would you vote for open-ended military authorizations, or do you insist on sunset clauses and congressional reauthorization?

On Ethics and Accountability

Will you support banning stock trading for sitting members of Congress? Yes or no. Will you back tighter lobbying revolving-door rules? What will your district office prioritize for constituent service, whether that is VA casework, SSA, IRS, or immigration cases, and how will you measure responsiveness publicly?

On Winning in November

CD02 is a swing district. Goodlander won it in 2024 even as Trump carried New Hampshire. What is your specific strategy to flip this seat in a midterm environment that historically favors the party out of the White House? What is your fundraising target and timeline? Name one popular conservative idea you think is bad politics for this district, and explain why.

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Questions for Victor Orlando

On Experience and Readiness

Orlando has no prior political experience and, as of his filing, has reported $0 in campaign contributions. Running for Congress is expensive and grueling. Voters need to hear specifics.

What experience in your background proves you can draft, negotiate, and move legislation, not just campaign on promises? What is your fundraising plan, and why should Republican voters trust that you have the infrastructure to compete against a well-funded incumbent in November?

On the “Balanced Approach” to Immigration

In his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Orlando describes a “balanced approach” to immigration that “honors our heritage as a nation of immigrants.” To conservative primary voters, “balanced” can sound like code for amnesty or weak enforcement.

Translate “balanced” into a concrete package. What do you change on asylum processing, parole authority, and interior enforcement? Do you support mass deportations of illegal immigrants currently in the country? Do you support ending DACA?

On Policy Specifics

Orlando’s campaign promises detailed policy videos explaining his positions. As of the primary filing period, those specifics remain thin.

Voters deserve full policy positions before they cast their ballots, not after. What are your first two legislative proposals, and where can voters read them in full today? When will you publish a complete, written platform?

On Education and Local Control

New Hampshire has a proud tradition of local control over education. Do you support abolishing the federal Department of Education outright? What specific federal education mandates or programs would you vote to defund, and how would you protect New Hampshire parents’ rights to direct their children’s schooling without federal interference?

On Pressure and Independence

Scenario: House leadership offers you a win on one of your priorities in exchange for voting yes on a bloated omnibus spending deal. Do you take it? Walk through your logic. Who are you closest to politically in Congress today, and how will you avoid becoming a rubber stamp for any faction?

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Questions for Lily Tang Williams

On the 2024 Loss

Williams won the 2024 Republican primary in a crowded 14-candidate field with 35.6% of the vote, then lost the general to Goodlander by about 24,000 votes. Repeated candidacy alone does not demonstrate improvement.

What was the single most important mistake or limitation in your 2024 campaign? What concrete changes are you making in 2026 to produce a different result? How do you keep grassroots credibility while expanding appeal to the independents you need in November?

On Your Libertarian Past

Before running as a Republican, Williams ran for U.S. Senate in Colorado in 2016 as a Libertarian, receiving 3.6% of the vote. That history raises a fair question.

Are you a Republican, or are you a libertarian using the Republican ballot line for strategic access? How do your views differ from the Libertarian Party platform today? When libertarian instincts collide with conservative priorities on issues like drugs, policing, or national security, which side wins, and why? Give one specific example.

On Term Limits and Repeated Candidacy

Williams signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge, committing to no more than three terms in the House. This is now her third run for the CD02 seat.

If elected, will you commit publicly and in writing to serving no more than three terms? How do you respond to voters who see repeated candidacies as contradicting the spirit of a term-limits pledge?

On Abortion and Federal Power

Williams’s stated position is that abortion is purely a states’ rights issue and she will not vote for any federal legislation on the topic in either direction. Many pro-life conservatives want a federal champion.

Why should pro-life voters in CD02 accept your position as sufficient? If abortion is primarily a state-level matter, what federal protections or limits do you still support, particularly on late-term procedures, conscience protections for providers, and interstate legal disputes?

On Education Federalism

You want power pushed back from Washington on education. What replaces it for matters such as special education compliance and accountability standards? How do you dismantle federal control without creating chaos for the districts and families who currently depend on those frameworks?

On Party Pressure

If GOP House leadership demands you moderate your message for electability, what positions will you refuse to soften? Where is the line between coalition building and capitulation?

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The Standard

Primary voters should leave every candidate forum with two things: a list of policies each candidate will fight for, and a list of temptations they will refuse. That is how you pick a nominee who will not melt the moment Washington turns up the heat.

The September 8 primary is still months away, but the time to demand real answers is now. CD02 deserves a nominee who can articulate more than broad principles, who can win in November against Maggie Goodlander, and who will fight for limited government, constitutional rights, and New Hampshire’s values once in Washington.

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Sources: Candidate information sourced from Ballotpedia profiles for Victor Orlando (ballotpedia.org/Victor_Orlando) and Lily Tang Williams (ballotpedia.org/Lily_Williams), including their Candidate Connection survey responses and campaign website statements. 2024 general election results from the New Hampshire Secretary of State (sos.nh.gov). U.S. Term Limits pledge status from termlimits.com. Williams’s 2016 Colorado Libertarian Senate candidacy from the Colorado Secretary of State and Ballotpedia’s historical records.

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