NY-23 Congressional District race 2022: Who is on the ballot and what are the top issues?

The Republican primary in New York’s 23rd Congressional District was among the most closely-watched campaigns in the state, with New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy defeating controversial Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino by four points.

The makeup of the 23rd would suggest that race decided who will represent the district in Washington for the next two years, and prognosticators agree — the Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index gives the district a ranking of R+12. Democrat Max Della Pia, though, is hoping to buck the odds.

Della Pia and Langworthy will square off in the Nov. 8 midterms, which will shape the balance of power in Congress.

The USA TODAY Network New York asked both candidates about issues facing the 23rd District. Here's an introduction to the candidates and what they had to say about the most important topics.

Who is Max Della Pia?

Della Pia spent more than 30 years in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He later served as a Wing Commander of the New York Air National Guard before a stint with Lockheed Martin. Della Pia has chaired the Tioga County Democratic Committee since 2018. He narrowly lost a 2018 Democratic primary campaign in the 23rd District. Della Pia resides in Tioga County, which is no longer part of the 23rd District.

Who is Nick Langworthy?

Langworthy also resides outside the 23rd District in Niagara County. A native of South Dayton in Cattaraugus County, Langworthy has worked in politics throughout his career with stints in the district offices of Congressmen Tom Reynolds and Chris Lee. He was elected Erie County Republican Chairman in 2010 and was later named the state GOP chair in 2019. Langworthy said he will relinquish his position as chairman if elected to Congress.

What does the 23rd District look like?

The 23rd District has a new look post-redistricting. The 23rd’s borders now include Allegany, Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, plus a large part of Erie County. More than 40% of the district’s population is in Erie County.

Della Pia was defeated by about 5 points in an August special election to complete the remainder of Tom Reed’s term in the old 23rd District.

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Della Pia and Langworthy on the economy, inflation

Both candidates favor expanded drilling to boost domestic production of oil and help bring down gas prices. Both highlighted energy independence as a national security issue.

Della Pia would like to “ease away” from fossil fuels in favor of alternatives like nuclear power. Langworthy, meanwhile, is open to fracking for natural gas, which has been sidelined by state officials due to environmental concerns.

"Allegany County is one of the poorest counties in New York, and it doesn’t have to be that way," said Langworthy. "We have the opportunity to create thousands of really good-paying jobs, jobs that can feed a family and put kids through college."

Both candidates stressed a need for more resilient supply chains and more American manufacturing.

Della Pia believes legislation passed by the Biden Administration will ultimately help ease inflation and boost New York’s economy, noting Micron’s plans to invest up to $100 billion in semiconductor manufacturing following passage of the CHIPS Act. Langworthy said the U.S. has become “addicted to cheap stuff from China” and needs to incentivize manufacturing through tax credits while placing “reality checks” on federal spending.

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Della Pia and Langworthy on reproductive rights

Della Pia and Democrats across the country have highlighted support for abortion access in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.

“It’s ironic the Republican Party characterizes themselves as the party of limited government but they want to be in the room when a woman makes the decision with her doctor about her reproductive heath, decisions that affect her family,” said Della Pia.

Langworthy opposes abortion but makes exceptions in instances of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk.

Langworthy said abortion is now a state issue and likened Democrats' focus on abortion to a scare tactic to drive turnout, similar to claims that Republicans are eyeing cuts to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Langworthy said such cuts "are not on the table."

"That is a sacred promise between the government and those that paid into the system," he said. "It needs to be there for people and we need to do everything in our power to preserve Social Security and Medicare."

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Della Pia and Langworthy on guns, marijuana, Jan. 6

Public safety and crime, a central focus of New York’s gubernatorial campaign, have also impacted the political landscape in NY-23. The early front-runner, current 27th District Republican Chris Jacobs, lost Republican endorsements and dropped out of the race after supporting new gun control measures in the wake of a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.

Della Pia said he supports “common sense” gun policy like universal background checks and bans on high-capacity magazines. Langworthy said “more laws are not the answer,” preferring to focus on mental health and a federal commission to study what is fueling the rise of mass shooters.

As New York prepares to embark on legal marijuana sales, Della Pia supports decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. Langworthy is open to discussions but believes "law enforcement and public health needs to be at the table."

Della Pia believes “democracy is on the ballot” as some right-wing groups continue to push debunked claims of election fraud in 2020. Langworthy recognized Biden’s victory while acknowledging that the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol was a “very dark day in our nation’s history.” Langworthy favors National Voter ID legislation to counter a loss of faith in the election system.

Chris Potter can be reached at cpotter@gannett.com or on Twitter @ChrisPotter413. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: NY-23 Congressional election: Nick Langworthy vs. Max Della Pia