U.S. House · New York's 23rd District

Western New York, including Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Yates, Steuben, Schuyler and part of Erie County.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 8 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • All claims verified: primary results, Langworthy's biography and 119th Congress committee assignments (Oversight and Government Reform; Energy and Commerce; chairs Rules Committee's Legislative and Budget Process Subcommittee), and his priorities summary. Confirmed Aaron Gies's Ballotpedia page has no biography section and no completed candidate survey, and that his campaign site (aaronforny23.com) returns a bot-protection redirect rather than content, supporting the minimal researchDepth. No changes made.

On the ballot · 2 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUENick Langworthy
RC
Aaron Gies
DWFP
Protect legal access to abortion—Supports[3]
Stricter gun laws—Supports[3]
Expand immigration enforcement and deportationsSupports[4][5][6][7][8]votesMixed[3]
Raise taxes on high earners or corporationsOpposes[5][6][7]votes—
Expand public health coverageOpposes[5][6][7][9]votesSupports[3]
Faster transition away from fossil fuelsOpposes[5][6][7]votesSupports[3]
Broad tariffs on imported goodsSupports[10]votes—

The candidates, in full

Nick Langworthy

RCINCUMBENTU.S. Representative, NY-23 (since 2023)

Nick Langworthy is the Republican and Conservative incumbent, a former chairman of the New York Republican State Committee and Erie County Republican Party first elected to the House in 2022. He chairs the Rules Committee's Legislative and Budget Process Subcommittee and also serves on Oversight and Government Reform and Energy and Commerce.[1][2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • NoWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · H. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · 2026-06-03 roll call ↗The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
  • NoResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · H.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · 2026-02-11 roll call ↗The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy.
  • YesConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government funding · H.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · 2026-02-03 roll call ↗The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026.
  • NoBreaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · H.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · 2026-01-08 roll call ↗The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans.
  • NoWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela · H. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · 2025-12-17 roll call ↗The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region.
  • YesNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passage · S. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · 2025-12-10 roll call ↗The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year.
  • YesEpstein Files Transparency Act · H.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · 2025-11-18 roll call ↗The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support.
  • YesContinuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending vote · H.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · 2025-11-12 roll call ↗The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively.
  • YesCLARITY Act — digital asset market structure · H.R. 3633 · Passed 294–134 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The CLARITY Act creates a regulatory framework dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It sets registration and disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital-asset intermediaries.
  • YesGENIUS Act — stablecoin regulation · S. 1582 · Passed 308–122 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The GENIUS Act creates a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, requiring issuers to hold reserves backing their tokens on a one-to-one basis and to comply with new disclosure and licensing rules. It was the first major piece of cryptocurrency legislation enacted into federal law.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 218–214 · 2025-07-03 roll call ↗H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends and expands the 2017 tax cuts, adds new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and seniors, and raises the cap on state and local tax deductions. It increases border security and defense spending while cutting projected Medicaid and SNAP spending and adding new work requirements; President Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.
  • YesRescissions Act of 2025 · H.R. 4 · Passed 214–212 · 2025-06-12 roll call ↗The Rescissions Act canceled about $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, mostly for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was the first rescissions package Congress had approved in decades.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 215–214 · 2025-05-22 roll call ↗H.R. 1 extends and modifies the 2017 individual and business tax cuts, creates new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and increases spending on border security and defense. It also reduces projected spending on Medicaid and food-assistance programs and adds new work requirements for some recipients.
  • YesSAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · H.R. 22 · Passed 220–208 · 2025-04-10 roll call ↗The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish procedures to remove noncitizens identified on voter rolls.
  • YesFull-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 · H.R. 1968 · Passed 217–213 · 2025-03-11 roll call ↗The bill funded the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2025, largely at prior-year spending levels, averting a shutdown ahead of a March 14 deadline. It also extended several expiring health and other program authorizations.
  • YesLaken Riley Act — final passage · S. 5 · Passed 263–156 · 2025-01-22 roll call ↗The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted for theft, burglary, or certain violent crimes. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions.
  • YesSecure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · H.R. 2 · Passed 219–213 · 2023-05-11 roll call ↗Would have resumed border-wall construction, restricted asylum eligibility, expanded detention, and mandated E-Verify for employers.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Committee on Energy and Commerce (Health, Energy and Environment subcommittees), and chairs the Legislative and Budget Process Subcommittee of the Committee on Rules in the 119th Congress.[2]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations. Voted yes on Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2, 2023-05-11).[4][5][6][7][8]

  • OpposesExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted no on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08).[5][6][7][9]

  • OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuelsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits.[5][6][7]

  • OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent.[5][6][7]

  • SupportsBroad tariffs on imported goodsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11).[10]

In their words — priorities

  • Describes his focus as protecting constitutional rights and what his campaign materials call the values that make America a strong and prosperous country.[2]

Background

  • Earned a bachelor's degree in political science and government from Niagara University in 2003.[2]
  • Worked as a congressional staffer, including as district director for Rep. Chris Lee, and as president of Liberty Opinion Research.[2]
  • Served as chairman of the New York Republican State Committee and the Erie County Republican Party before his election to Congress.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $2.3M · spent $943K · $2.5M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Aaron Gies

DWFP

Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary

Aaron Gies, a St. Bonaventure University theology professor, is the Democratic and Working Families Party nominee challenging incumbent Rep. Nick Langworthy in NY-23, running on affordability, universal healthcare, and rebuilding rural infrastructure.[3]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsProtect legal access to abortion

    Supports codifying Roe v. Wade's abortion protections into federal law and would oppose a national abortion ban.[3]

    “I support codifying the protections of Roe into law and would vote no on any attempted national abortion ban.”
  • SupportsStricter gun laws

    Supports universal background checks and red-flag laws while also affirming Second Amendment rights.[3]

    “I support universal background checks and red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of those who are likely to use them to commit crimes.”
  • MixedExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Supports secure borders and consistent enforcement, but pairs that with due process for undocumented people and a new guest-worker program rather than enforcement alone.[3]

    “I support strong, secure borders and fair treatment for law-abiding immigrants... Real reform should include a fair process for new entries, due process for undocumented people, a guest worker program that serves our country's economic needs, and consistent enforcement.”
  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Campaigns under a "Universal Healthcare" priority, citing medical debt as a leading cause of bankruptcy and opposing cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, and rural healthcare systems.[3]

    “Medical debt is now one of the most common causes of bankruptcy in America.”
  • SupportsFaster transition away from fossil fuels

    Supports renewable energy development and opposes new fracking and nuclear projects.[3]

    “Renewable energy makes us more resilient and energy independent and I'll fight for federal dollars for these projects... I oppose irresponsible data center buildout, fracking and new nuclear projects.”

In their words — priorities

  • Says his central campaign message is that a good life should be affordable, citing rising costs, wages that have not kept pace, and corporations getting special treatment.[3]
  • Cites medical debt as one of the most common causes of bankruptcy and says cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, and rural healthcare systems threaten local hospitals and nursing homes.[3]
  • Says he would strengthen unions and workers' bargaining power rather than give tax breaks and deregulation to large corporations.[3]
  • Describes housing as scarce and increasingly unaffordable in Western New York and the Southern Tier and says it should be treated as a basic human need rather than only an investment.[3]

Background

  • Gies says he was raised in a working family; his father ran a small contracting business and his mother worked as a school secretary.[3]
  • He describes his career as including work as a teacher, a nonprofit leader, and roles waiting tables, doing bookkeeping for a Main Street business, and working on a nonprofit farm.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $227K · spent $203K · $18K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Research notes & limits

Gies's campaign website (aaronforny23.com) blocked automated access directly; the live site was checked instead and supplied biography, priorities and positions. His Ballotpedia page still has no biography section and no completed Candidate Connection survey. A fact-check found that two claims sourced to the site could not be verified there: a "$15 minimum wage" quote (no mention of minimum wage or $15 anywhere on the site) and an "Expand housing supply to drive down costs" quote (the housing section only frames housing as unaffordable and a basic human need, with no supply/zoning-specific commitment); the `minimum_wage` and `housing_supply` positions built on those quotes were removed, and the housing priority and healthcare quotes were corrected to text actually on the page. Federal key votes and FEC totals for incumbent Nick Langworthy are added separately by script.

Sources · 10

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Nick Langworthy · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 3.Aaron Gies for Congress (archived Sept. 18, 2026) · Aaron Gies for Congress campaign website (via Internet Archive) · 2026-09-18 Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  5. 5.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  6. 6.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  7. 7.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  8. 8.Roll call: Secure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2023-05-11 Official record
  9. 9.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  10. 10.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record