NEW YORK — Republican Rep. Nicholas Langworthy won re-election to a U.S. House seat representing New York on Tuesday.
Langworthy defeated Democrat Thomas Carle in a district that runs nearly 190 miles along the state's border with Pennsylvania and includes some Buffalo suburbs.
During his first term, Langworthy led a successful effort to preserve flight safety rules in response to the 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Clarence, New York.
Langworthy is a former state Republican committee chair. He now chairs the House Aviation Safety Caucus and serves on the rules, agriculture and oversight committees.
The Associated Press declared Langworthy the winner at 10:05 p.m. EST.
During his victory speech Langworthy, who was surrounded by both family and supporters, began by saying "Thank you New York 23 for a resounding vote today."
"It doesn't seem possible that it's already been two years since we were in this very room celebrating our first victory." He noted. "I am so grateful to the residents of Western New York, and the Southern Tier."
"They forget about places like Western New York. Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you this -- As long as I serve in the House of Representatives, Western New York and the Southern Tier will have a loud, bold voice in Washington" Langworthy said.
He ended his speech with a final note saying "Thank you for the trust of the public. Thank you for your votes. Thank you for your confidence. God bless you and God bless America."
Watch Langworthy's full victory speech attached below.