By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
There are two premier election — state and federal — contests on the ballot in Cattaraugus County on Election Day — the gubernatorial race and the 23rd Congressional District.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. across the county.
Both the campaign for New York governor and the Southern Tier congressional seat were on display in the Olean area last Wednesday.
Bruce Blakeman, the Republican and Conservative candidate for governor trying to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Rep. Nick Langworthy, seeking re-election against Democrat Aaron Gies of Olean held a campaign rally at the Olean Elks Club with about 200 in attendance.
Both of the candidates spoke about many red meat issues in a bid to get GOP and conservative voters out to vote.
Langworthy mentioned the state’s outmigration, the governor’s green energy policy, Southern border safety, and the Hochul administration’s treatment of state corrections officers.
For his part, Blakeman vowed to protect gun rights, lower utility bills, unleashing the state’s energy potential in natural gas,the governor’s spending on immigrants and keeping boys out of girls sports.
Some political observers found it interesting that Blakeman and Langworthy needed to barnstorm the Southern Tier with stops in Hornell, Olean and Jamestown in the traditionally Republican congressional district. Others said that Blakeman needed more Upstate votes, where he and Hochul are much closer than they are in the New York City area.
Later that night, in Allegany, Gies, a St. Bonaventure University theology professor, held one of his final town halls in Allegany with more than 100 attending. Gies has chided Langworthy from the beginning of the campaign nearly 18 months ago for not holding in person town halls which had been a hallmark of Southern Tier politics for decades.
Gies is fighting an uphill battle in a ruby red congressional district. He has also been courting independents, who make up nearly as many voters in the district as Democrats.
On Monday, Gies, whose campaign has been helped by his social media presence, read a post by President Trump on Truth Social, where the president trumpeted Langworthy as an America First patriot, while calling his opponent, Gies, a leftist radical. All the time Gies was reading the post, he was laughing.
He has made affordability a central theme in his campaign and blamed Trump and Republicans for tariffs and the war in Iran which have both raised prices for Americans including small businesses and farmers.
Two other state offices are on the ballot as well: State Senator in the 57th District and the 148th Assembly District.
In the Senate race, incumbent Republican George Borrello of Sunset Bay in Chautauqua County is being challenged by Victoria Guite-Williams of Genesee County.
In the 148th Assembly District, incumbent Joe Sempolinski of Canisteo in Steuben County is unopposed on the Republican and Conservative lines.
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