GOP Insiders Upset Endorsed Candidate, Nominate Dr. Joe Arminio to Face Rep. McBride

Delaware’s Republican Party bypassed its officially backed candidate, Rev. Earl Cooper, when political scientist Joseph “Dr. Joe” Arminio won the party’s nomination for the state’s sole U.S. House seat. Arminio also defeated John Whalen, the party’s 2024 nominee, in the primary. The upset positions him against Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender congressperson, who is running for a second term.

Arminio, a Wilmington native with a Ph.D. from MIT and teaching experience at American University and Lincoln University, highlighted rising household debt, inflation and housing costs as key issues. He previously ran a congressional primary in Maryland’s 1st District in 2008, receiving about 1.6% of the vote. The race pits him against a Democrat in a seat Republicans have not held since 2008.