Langworthy vs. Gies: A Little Three Rivalry With Higher Stakes Than Basketball

Nicholas Langworthy has a congressional voting record. Aaron Gies has a campaign platform. Here's how they compare on Medicaid, SNAP, healthcare subsidies, and town halls.

In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, Little Three basketball played between St. Bonaventure University, Canisius College, and Niagara University drew huge crowds to the old Aud to watch doubleheader basketball games. As described by Steve Cichon, "'Little Three' games between Niagara, St. Bonaventure and Canisius were the city's most riotous sporting events, tickets to Saturday night basketball doubleheaders at Memorial Auditorium were Western New York's hottest ticket, and Buffalo was universally recognized as one of America's great college basketball towns." Stars included Anthony Masiello, a two-time captain for Canisius who later became the mayor of Buffalo; Bob Lanier, star center who led St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four in 1970 and went on to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; and Calvin Murphy, high-scoring All-American guard for Niagara who scored 68 points against Syracuse in 1968 and also went on to the NBA.

Fast forward to today, and a Little Three match-up of a different kind is happening in Western New York: the NY-23 congressional race pits Niagara University alumnus Nicholas Langworthy against St. Bonaventure professor Aaron Gies. Langworthy (R-NY23) is the Republican incumbent. Gies is the Democrat and Working Families Party candidate.

Langworthy has something Gies doesn't: a congressional voting record.

Langworthy's Voting Record in NY-23

In the 119th Congress, Langworthy has voted with the Republican majority on 98% of party-divided votes, according to congressional voting data. Langworthy has:

• Voted "YES" on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 1, along with fellow Republican Western New York congresswoman Claudia Tenney. Among its many provisions, the OBBBA made significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food assistance). Many of the law's largest Medicaid spending reductions are phased in after the 2026 elections.
  • Cuts to Medicaid: The OBBBA is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over ten years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the law will increase the number of uninsured Americans by 7.5 million by 2034. 193,200 people are currently covered by Medicaid and Child Health Plus in NY-23, according to Medicaid Matters NY. Of those, about 46,000 are projected to lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage, including about 16,100 children under 19 and 5,520 people older than 65. The Fiscal Policy Institute identifies eight NY-23 hospitals as at risk of closure under the OBBBA's Medicaid cuts. Read more: After Langworthy and Tenney Voted for Medicaid Cuts, Upstate New York Hospitals Are At Risk.
  • Cuts to SNAP: Langworthy said the OBBBA would not cut a penny from SNAP - the program sometimes called food stamps that helps people buy food.
  "My colleagues continue to peddle fear and misinformation about H.R. 1, falsely claiming it makes devastating cuts to SNAP. The truth is, not a single dollar is cut from benefits." Nicholas Langworthy, December 30, 2025

  Langworthy was arguing that the law did not reduce the benefit amount for an individual who remained eligible for SNAP. But CBO estimates that the law will reduce federal SNAP spending by $186.7 billion over ten years through changes affecting eligibility, participation, benefit amounts, work requirements, and state cost-sharing. The OBBBA makes it harder for people to get or keep SNAP by increasing work requirements (even for veterans) and requiring more frequent eligibility checks. Roughly 90,391 people relied on SNAP in Langworthy's NY-23 congressional district, Western NY and the Southern Tier, according to New York State's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance data based on June 2024 payments, representing about $200.3 million in annual SNAP benefits paid into the district. Read more: SNAP Cuts and Childhood Malnutrition: Coming to Your Town.

• Voted "NO" on Extending Enhanced ACA Subsidies: The enhanced ACA premium tax credits that had lowered marketplace premiums expired at the end of 2025. On January 8, 2026, Langworthy voted "NO" on a three-year extension of those enhanced subsidies. Without them, health insurance got more expensive for thousands of people. Read more: The Real Cost of the "Working Families Tax Cut" Is Already Showing Up in Western New York.

Langworthy's record extends well beyond healthcare and the safety net. Future WNYP posts will cover his votes on Epstein files transparency, Canadian tariffs, warrantless surveillance, and congressional authorization for military action.

Langworthy's farm-related legislative record is also part of his time in office. Read more: Langworthy Fights to Insure Grapes. He Already Voted to Uninsure You. For his full biography and committee history, see Nick Langworthy: Biography, Voting Record, Committees and Political Career.

Gies Campaign Platform

Aaron Gies doesn't have a voting record. He's never served in Congress. But he does have a campaign platform.

"A good life should be affordable" is the tagline of his campaign. When he launched his run in Olean, Gies asked supporters what goes into a good life, and answered his own question: healthcare, dental care, education, affordable housing, freedom from fear, affordable child care, clean air and water, and law and order.

• Healthcare: His platform calls for universal access to basic healthcare and for lowering prescription drug costs. He has said he supports a single-payer system. At a town hall in Portville, he said he opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act because it took money from Medicaid and could result in nursing homes and hospitals closing in NY 23rd.
• Education: His platform calls for guaranteeing free school meals, expanding funding for rural schools, special education, and workforce training.
• Jobs and Small Business: Gies focuses on local businesses, which he argues keep money circulating in the community. He supports banning price discrimination that lets major corporations undercut small businesses, and repealing a Depression-era law that bars local companies from issuing stock.
• Wages and Farms: Gies supports a $15 federal minimum wage and stronger support for family farms and working people across NY-23.
• In-Person Town Halls: Gies has pledged 100 in-person town halls across NY-23's nine counties before Election Day. Langworthy has not held an in-person town hall since taking office, according to available public records, and holds telephone town halls instead.
  "Residents of NY-23 deserve a representative that is transparent, accountable, and present." Aaron Gies

Gies is endorsed by the Working Families Party, Democratic committees in five NY-23 counties (Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara, Steuben, and Tioga), the state's largest teachers' union, and three former Democratic nominees for the NY-23 seat, Tracy Mitrano, Max Della Pia, and Tom Carle. More on his background: Aaron Gies for Congress.

Langworthy's Voting Record vs. Gies's Campaign Platform

In its series with Niagara, St. Bonaventure holds a 90-71 all-time edge. This November, St. Bonaventure professor and Democrat / Working Families candidate Gies faces Niagara alumnus and Republican incumbent Langworthy. Voters decide.