U.S. House, New York 23rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New York's 23rd Congressional District?
Nick Langworthy has the strongest record in New York's 23rd Congressional District. Nick Langworthy scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Aaron Gies at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Nick Langworthy's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Aaron Gies
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- 50
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Nick Langworthy
On the ballot as Nicholas A. Langworthy
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 56
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Aaron Gies
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Nick Langworthy
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored H.R. 9566, the SHARE IT Act, requiring federal agencies to share custom-developed source code; it was signed into law Dec. 23, 2024 as Public Law 118-187.
Sources: GovTrack, H.R. 9566 (118th Congress), FedScoop, Dec. 26, 2024
- Credit2023-01-11
In January 2023, while also state Republican chair, he was one of four New York Republican House members who called on Rep. George Santos to resign.
Source: NPR via WUNC, Jan. 11, 2023
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Aaron Gies. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate financial disclosures were filed Feb. 13, 2026 and Oct. 7, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10072778, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10083005, FEC administrative fines search
Nick Langworthy. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 15, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078337, House Committee on Ethics site search for Langworthy, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Called on Rep. George Santos to resign in January 2023 and voted Yea on the November 2023 resolution to expel him and on the Faster Labor Contracts Act in 2026 when Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Nay; voted Nay on the 2024 ACCESS Act when both voted Yea.
Sources: NPR via WUNC, Jan. 11, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 564, Nov. 1, 2023, Santos expulsion, House Clerk Roll Call 216, 2026, Faster Labor Contracts Act, House Clerk Roll Call 380, 2024, ACCESS Act
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Aaron Gies. Appeared at a March 2026 bipartisan candidate town hall in Angola listed by the League of Women Voters of Buffalo-Niagara, debated Rep. Langworthy on WETM on Oct. 6, 2026, and accepted a WKBW debate offer.
Sources: League of Women Voters of Buffalo-Niagara, event listing, WSKG, July 17, 2025, WKBW 7 News, Oct. 2026
Nick Langworthy. Took part in a televised general election debate with Aaron Gies hosted by WETM in Elmira on Oct. 6, 2026. WKBW reports he did not accept its offer of a second debate in the Buffalo market.
Sources: WIVT via Yahoo News, Oct. 6, 2026, WKBW 7 News, Oct. 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Chaired the Erie County and New York State Republican committees and has served in the House since January 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Nick Langworthy, House Committee on Ethics site search for Langworthy
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Has held sworn federal office since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count; not a member of Congress in December 2020. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Wikipedia, Nick Langworthy
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Aaron Gies. Associate professor of theology and Franciscan studies at St. Bonaventure University since 2021 and associate editor of the journal Franciscan Studies. Has not held public office.
Sources: St. Bonaventure University faculty page, WSKG, July 17, 2025
Nick Langworthy. In the U.S. House since January 2023, now in his second term, after chairing the New York State Republican Committee from 2019 to 2023.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Aaron Gies. Published campaign priorities on health care, education, jobs and community leadership, in general terms.
Source: Post-Journal, Aug. 22, 2025
Nick Langworthy. Chairs the House Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process and sits on Energy and Commerce and Oversight. His SHARE IT Act was enacted in December 2024.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 9566 (118th Congress)
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Aaron Gies. Published campaign priorities and took part in a League of Women Voters-listed candidate town hall. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Post-Journal, Aug. 22, 2025, League of Women Voters of Buffalo-Niagara, event listing, Ballotpedia, Aaron Gies
Nick Langworthy. Offers a weekly e-newsletter and constituent surveys, publishes issue positions on his campaign site and took part in a televised general election debate in October 2026. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Nick Langworthy, WKBW 7 News, Oct. 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Aaron Gies. Lives in Olean in Cattaraugus County, in the district, and has worked at St. Bonaventure since 2019. FEC by-state totals show about 96 percent of itemized individual contributions from New York.
Sources: Post-Journal, Aug. 22, 2025, St. Bonaventure University faculty page, FEC contribution totals by state
Nick Langworthy. Born in Jamestown, in the district, and has district offices in Jamestown, Olean, Elmira and the Buffalo suburbs. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 75 percent of itemized individual contributions from New York.
Sources: Wikipedia, Nick Langworthy, Office site, Office Locations, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Aaron Gies. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Nick Langworthy. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.452 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, meets expectations. His SHARE IT Act (H.R. 9566) was signed into law Dec. 23, 2024.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, FedScoop, Dec. 26, 2024
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Missed 67 of 1,917 roll call votes, 3.5 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. Lists four district offices (Jamestown, Olean, Elmira and Williamsville) and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Aaron Gies. In July 2026 announced endorsements from Republican and unaffiliated community leaders, led by Jim King of Owego, a 2026 Republican candidate for the seat.
Nick Langworthy. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.16392 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 164 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Aaron Gies. No public record found.
Nick Langworthy. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in New York's 23rd Congressional District?
Nick Langworthy has the strongest record in New York's 23rd Congressional District. Nick Langworthy scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Aaron Gies at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Nick Langworthy's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in New York's 23rd Congressional District in 2026?
Aaron Gies (Democratic), Nick Langworthy (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Aaron Gies a good candidate for Congress?
Aaron Gies scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Nick Langworthy a good candidate for Congress?
Nick Langworthy scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every New York race scored, and the New York 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.