OLEAN — Aaron Gies, a professor at St. Bonaventure University, officially launched his campaign for Congress in New York’s 23rd Congressional District in his hometown of Olean.

The campaign will focus on ensuring that families in Western New York and the Southern Tier can achieve a good life they can afford–with access to affordable healthcare, strong schools, and an economy that respects the dignity of work.

“MAGA Republicans think of America like jackals thinking about a dead gazelle. They want to rip it apart piece by piece, and they want the biggest piece. It’s a zero sum game for them. But America is not a corpse to be dismembered. It is a garden. America is a living natural system of ecologies and human beings that cooperate together. And like a garden, when it is managed well, it can continue to give forever. It can become more abundant over time. It’s not zero sum; it’s both/and.”

The campaign launch event was held on Wednesday at Four Mile Brewing, bringing together neighbors, supporters, and community leaders to kick off a movement centered on the common good, expanding opportunity, and local values.

Key campaign priorities include:

— Healthcare that works for everyone. Lowering costs and protecting rural access to doctors and hospitals.

— Investing in education. Ensuring strong schools, affordable higher education, and workforce training to prepare the next generation.

— Dignity of work. Supporting jobs that pay fairly, strengthen local industries, and keep young people from leaving the district.

— Community-first leadership. Putting District 23 families ahead of Washington insiders by representing their interests and making the wealthy pay their fair share.

Gies emphasized that their campaign will be rooted in listening and collaboration. “In Washington, Representatives must represent the people who elected them to office, and not the last lobbyist to talk to them, or else it will all fall apart,” he said. “That is why we have to flip Washington, and that is why I’m running.”

For more information about the campaign, upcoming events, or to get involved, please visit www.aaronforny23.com.