Less than 20 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday, Republican Nicholas A. Langworthy claimed victory in his race for Congress in a heavily Republican Southern Tier district.
“It looks like we’re heading to a massive victory,” said Langworthy," a former congressional aide who eventually became chairman of the state Republican Party.
He acknowledged it was unusual for a congressional candidate to declare victory at 9:15 p.m. when only a small portion of the election totals had been reported. But he added: "Our nation has been on a dangerously wrong track, and tonight is the night people said, enough is enough.”
As he claimed victory, Langworthy was building a lead over Democrat Max Della Pia, an Air Force veteran and the Tioga County Democratic chairman.
They were running in New York's newly drawn 23rd district, which takes in Erie County's eastern towns and then dives south. It most closely resembles the Southern Tier territory that had been represented since 2011 by Republican Tom Reed of Corning. Reed resigned in May, months after a woman revealed he had tried to unclasp her bra without her consent at a social gathering hosted by lobbyists.
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Langworthy, who currently resides in Niagara County, has said he will move into the district. He is a former chairman of the Erie County Republican Party, and with that name recognition he was taking more than 50% of the Erie County vote in early results.
That was far better than Langworthy did in the Republican primary, when Buffalo businessman Carl P. Paladino beat him in the Erie County towns by a 2-1 margin. The Southern Tier counties, however, delivered the nomination to Langworthy.
Langworthy, who was endorsed by Donald J. Trump after his primary victory, has said he wants a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He could find himself in a newly constituted Republican majority if the predictions hold true and the party wins a majority of seats.