U.S. Rep. Tom Reed and Tracy Mitrano

A familiar face is returning to Congress.

Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, had a strong showing Tuesday night. With more than two-thirds of the votes cast in, Reed was ahead by nearly 60% of the vote, compared to 36% of the vote for Democrat challenger Tracy Mitrano, and 1% of the vote to Libertarian candidate Andrew Kolstee.

“It’s clear to us that we have enough votes to represent this area for another two years in Washington,” Reed said to supporters during a press conference that was shown on Facebook Live shortly after 11 p.m.

Reed had a strong showing in Chautauqua County. Before absentee ballots, Reed was ahead by more than a 2-1 margin. Unofficial results show Reed had 31,861 compared to 14,992 for Mitrano and 602 votes for Kolstee.

As of Tuesday, the county has received 9,955 of the 11,926 absentee ballots that were applied for. Of that number, 4,828 are registered Democrats, 2,657 are registered Republicans and 1,722 are not affiliated with a party. Absentee and affidavit ballots will be counted starting at 9 a.m. Nov. 10. Additional overseas federal and military absentees have until 13 days after the election to arrive at the Board of Elections.

Besides Chautauqua County, the 23rd district includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins and Yates counties along with parts of Ontario and Tioga counties.

Along with the Republican line, Reed was the endorsed candidate for the Independence and Conservative parties, while Mitrano had an additional line on the Working Families Party.

This is the second time Reed has defeated Mitrano. In 2018, Reed received 130,323 votes to 109,932 for Mitrano. That year the Libertarian Party was not on the ballot.

Reed was first elected in 2012 and has faced a challenger every year he has held the seat.

At the time of the Facebook Live video, it was unknown how the presidential race would turn out. Still, Reed was convinced that no matter who won, he would be able to work with the president.

“My history in Washington with the Problem Solvers Caucus, people know I’m a go to person in terms of bringing people together,” he said.

Reed said should Democratic challenger Joe Biden wins, he would still find success in Washington. “I’ve worked with the vice president before. We know Joe Biden,” he said, adding, “We’re not giving up our ideology, we’re not giving up our beliefs. We’re proud Republicans.”