Advice for NY-23 GOP Primary Voters With No Trump Endorsement

On August 23, New York voters will have a primary election for U.S. House and state senate offices. The GOP primary in the NY-23 congressional district is one to watch due to its parallels with a potential 2024 GOP presidential primary.

This year, the 23rd congressional district is a new solid-red district, and the GOP primary (and thus the general election) will come down to Carl Paladino or Nick Langworthy.

Paladino, 75, is a well-known businessman in Western New York and former gubernatorial candidate. Nick Langworthy, 41, is the sitting NYGOP chairman and the youngest to hold that position.

Both Paladino and Langworthy are Trump allies, but Trump has not made an endorsement in this race. Paladino says that Trump and his staff “have told us they’re not doing endorsements. It’s very tricky, and, it’s very, in this case, you’ve got the New York State Republican chair — OK, for the entire state — running against me. So the Trump administration doesn’t want to dig the hole, OK, to absolutely bury him.”

Langworthy echoed that sentiment. “He’s got friends and allies on both sides of this and he doesn’t want to hurt Carl’s feelings.”

Trump may not be making an endorsement in the primary, but it’s safe to say that the primary winner will have Trump’s full support… just not until there’s a winner in the primary.

So, who’s going to win?

Last month, the Paladino campaign released the results of an internal poll showing him with a 30-point lead over Langworthy. However, a new poll obtained by The Buffalo News shows the race in a statistical tie, with Langworthy edging out Paladino 39% to 37%, with 24% of voters undecided.

“He has name recognition, but when you look at Carl’s favorables and unfavorables, they’re not all that good,” veteran pollster Barry Zeplowitz said Wednesday. “Based on the numbers, unless he can slow down Nick’s momentum, he’s got a problem. He may have peaked early.”

If the independent poll is accurate, it’s anyone’s race, and many haven’t decided how they’ll vote. Trump’s endorsement likely would clinch the race, but since one isn’t coming, I feel it necessary to offer my suggestion to the undecided voters of the district on which candidate is the ideal choice. The race has already started to get ugly, with Paladino and Langworthy trading barbs despite being strong allies in local and state politics in the past. It shouldn’t be this way.

I have met both Carl Paladino and Nick Langworthy. Both want to make America great again, and both would be strong opponents of the Biden agenda. Whatever happens in this primary, the winner will have my full support.

Despite Paladino’s years of advocacy for the region, he’s also been a divisive figure and has not been immune to controversy. Recently, Paladino has also come under fire for other comments he’s made, including praising Adolf Hitler’s ability to inspire crowds and comparing the Buffalo and Texas mass shootings to “false flag operations.” Paladino has a history of letting his words be his worst enemy. Langworthy doesn’t have the baggage that Paladino has.

There’s also the long term for the voters of NY-23 to think about. At 75—just a few years younger than Joe Biden—how many terms does Paladino intend to serve? The Republican Party needs more young blood in its ranks.

While it’s true that Paladino has been a strong advocate for the people of Western New York for many years, ultimately, Langworthy is best suited to represent the voters of NY-23 in Washington, D.C., to fight against the Biden agenda. He knows how to fight and win, and he’ll be a fresh face in Congress with the experience necessary to take on the swamp for years to come.