Joseph Arminio Wins Delaware GOP Primary, Will Challenge Rep. Sarah McBride

Joseph Arminio, a political scientist, won the Republican nomination for Delaware's U.S. House seat on Tuesday, defeating the party's endorsed candidate and its 2024 nominee. Arminio will challenge Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride in the November general election.

McBride, who won Delaware's at-large House seat in 2024, made history as the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. She defeated John Whalen, the Republican nominee who also ran against her in this year's primary, by approximately 16 percentage points in the previous general election. Republicans have not held Delaware's House seat since 2008.

Arminio, a Wilmington native, holds a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his focus was on national defense policy and international relations. He previously sought the Republican nomination in Maryland's 1st Congressional District in 2008.

During his campaign, Arminio emphasized economic issues, citing concerns about public and private debt impacting American families. He identified inflation and the rising costs of groceries, gasoline, and housing as significant economic challenges facing Delaware.

"The Republican country for that matter is in dire peril," Arminio told WHYY in an interview. "The economy’s in very bad shape. We’re suffering from crushing private and public debt. So your typical family is having a hard time making ends meet. The young cannot afford to buy a home. They’re having difficulty in their relationships, getting married. It’s very, very serious."

McBride is seeking her second term in a district that has been under Democratic control since 2010, when John Carney took the seat after former U.S. Rep. Mike Castle retired and ran for the U.S. Senate.