By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
ELLICOTTVILLE — Two congressional candidates in the 23rd District met in a Bipartisan Town Hall Monday night at the Ellicottville Town Center.
Both Democrat Aaron Gies, a St. Bonaventure University professor from Olean, and Republican Jim King, a retired engineer from Owego, have their eyes on the Southern Tier seat held by Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy of Pendleton in Niagara County.
The candidates emphasized the importance of bipartisanship. They have partnered to hold town meetings across the district in a bid for name recognition and to garner signatures for their nominating petitions.
The bipartisan town meetings also call attention to Langworthy’s preference for monthly telephone town halls over the traditional town meetings Southern Tier congressmen have held in the past to hear from constituents.
The town hall was sponsored by Good Neighbors Getting It Done in WNY and moderated by Kathleen King of Hamburg.
Gies, who has the endorsement of the Working Families Party, emphasized his commitment to accountability, transparency and addressing rising costs of essential services. He was critical of the Trump administration immigration policies, advocating a more inclusive approach.
Gies is circulating Democratic nominating petitions along with Buffalo attorney Kevin Stocker.
In his opening remarks, King, “a traditional lifelong Republican,” called for local control and fair treatment of immigrants. A volunteer fireman and EMT, King said that the government has three purposes: to assure people of “a fair marketplace, safe communities and a stable future, better than what we’re living in.” He got emotional when talking about cuts to healthcare and its impact on people and communities.
King was the first to criticize Langworthy, who is running for a third two-year term in November. King called him “a Republican in name only” and said. “He’s not honest and he’s an enabler of the felon, the convicted felon that’s currently our president.” He said his life’s goal is “to help Nick retire early,” which drew applause from most of the more than 50 people attending the town hall. Most in attendance were Democrats, with a few independents and Republicans.
King, who does not have a large support staff, said his focus over the rest of this month is to get signatures of eligible Republicans on his nominating petitions or his challenge to Langworthy is over. He needs 1,250 qualified GOP signatures, which means he’ll need to get at least 2,000.
Often when Kings asks a Republican to sign his nominating petitions, the reply comes that they can’t sign it because they are afraid of consequences from Republican leaders.
Gies on the other hand has been holding gatherings in communities in every county across the district to obtain Democratic signatures in his primary against Stocker.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” Gies quoted from the Declaration of Independence.
“If you obtain citizenship (as an immigrant), you are an American, and it does not matter what you look like and where you come from and who you love and how you pray, you are an American and you have the same rights and the same equality under the law as any other American,” Gies said.
“It’s hard to argue with the Declaration of Independence,” King said.”Unless you’re a Native American, your heritage is from immigration somehow.” The U.S. is headed toward concentration camps with its expansion of detention centers for immigrants rounded up by ICE and Border Control agents.
Gies said ICE should not be looking to pick up immigrants to deport at hospitals or schools. “I’m also concerned about people being picked up in churches.”
Asked about 287 training agreements between local police and ICE, Gies said there are arguments on both sides, but that he was opposed because “I do not believe ICE is acting in good faith.”
Should ICE be defunded, the moderator asked King?
“ICE should be properly funded and its p[owers limited,” King replied. “They shouldn’t be transporting people across the country,” he said. “ICE has become a police force out of control, under control of the president.”
King went further, saying when President Trump is no longer president, he should be tried for his crimes.”
The moderator read from questions submitted by attendees and from Facebook Live. The candidates were not always asked the same questions.
As a moderate Republican, King said he disagreed with the Energy Choice Act, sponsored by Langworthy, which would prohibit states from limiting energy usage. “It’s a state’s rights issue,” he said. In addition, climate change from the burning of greenhouse gasses “is real,” King emphasized.
King also said the Iran war is a “shiny object” distraction from the Epstein files. Iran is not a threat to the U.S., he added.
Gies said it is Congress that should vote on whether the U.S. goes to war or not. “It’s a war,” he said, noting 80 % of the country does not support the war with Iran. “Stop the war.”
Will the country ever return to civil politics, Gies was asked? “We’re not going back,” he replied. “Change is the only constant. The America we knew is gone. He (Trump) has broken it. Somehow we will fix it.”
Both candidates said it is time to fix Social Security, which is in danger of not having enough money to keep making full payments to recipients in 10 years. Both endorsed raising the cap on the amount that is taxed, which is now set at $170,000.
Will the 2026 midterm elections be free and fair?
“I hope so,” said King. “We have to be vigilant.” He said state’s rights mean the federal government should not be involved in the elections.
What about voter identification laws?
Gies said you are required to show ID when you register. When you vote, your address and signature must match. “You don’t need to demand ID at the polls.”
Gies said the SAVE America Act, which Langwoerthy supports, will result in some people not having the right identification to vote. The Republicans say it is needed to prevent illegal immigrants from voting even though there are almost no instances of it.
Both candidates agreed the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court that opened the door to unlimited campaign funding needed to be overturned.
The candidates agreed that the country’s social safety net was being ripped away by Republicans including subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, and cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP or food stamps.
Gies said, “NY 23 is flippable in 2026. Nick Langworthy is mostly absent from the district and not particularly popular with what’s happened.”
The best opportunity for Democrats, who are vastly outnumbered by Republican enrollment in the 23rd Congressional District is to flip those who are unaffiliated with any political party, Gies said. “If we flip the unaffiliated, we can win.”
King told the audience that “the only way Nick Langworthy is (guaranteed) on the ballot is if I don’t challenge him in the primary.” His short-range goal remains to get in the primary despite the intimidation.
Gies’ campaign website is AaronforNY23.com and King’s website is king4ny23.com.
