He even had hopes that as someone who was not a career politician, his voice would resonate with potential voters. “We need to send a different type of congressperson, someone who’s a public servant,” he said during an October TV debate. “Someone who actually wants to work with others.”

He said and did all the right things, even traversing much of the district on Election Day. But in the end, a district that narrowly backed Nick Langworthy in his primary battle with Carl Paladino remained staunchly right.

Results that trickled in after 10 p.m. left no doubt that Langworthy, a Chautauqua County native, will be the district’s next Congressman. “I am running to bring a stable, conservative voice to the people of Western New York … to take on the disastrous record of Joe Biden that has led to record inflation,” he said earlier this month.

He now gets that chance. Langworthy, who also served as state Republican chairman, is going to Washington.

Max Della Pia

Once the polls closed, Della Pia scored a minor lead — from early voting. But Republican sentiment on Election Day became overwhelming across the district as the night wore on leading to his concession.

“I want to thank all the voters who trusted me with their vote, and the volunteers and family who have been with me on this ride” he said in Buffalo. “While I regret not being able to serve you in Congress, I can assure you the effort to run was worth it. It is always important to provide the voters a choice, even when the odds are against you. The election results show many voters want their representative to be bipartisan and oriented toward public service rather than one committed to divisive partisanship and self-interest. Unfortunately, there were not enough of them.

“The results of today’s election will have consequences. My hope is that voters will not give up on the election process or our democracy but will rather recommit themselves to responsible government motivated by public service rather than by party, money, power, and ego. In the future, I hope we will be led by our better angels and principles, so that our country will truly become one nation indivisible, with the fulfilled promise of liberty and justice for all.”

In Chautauqua County, Langworthy scored a 65% to 33% victory over Della Pia. Across the district, with more than two-thirds of the vote counted, Langworthy held a comfortable 58% to 40% advantage.

“It looks like we’re heading to a massive victory,” Langworthy said as reported by The Buffalo News late Tuesday minutes after the polls closed.