Mike Katz says Arminio “again misgendered” McBride after a warning and calls on him to withdraw
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Delaware and a candidate on stage at the forum, in a campaign statement
“When someone seeking public office is given an opportunity to correct his conduct, acknowledges his mistake, receives an explicit warning, and then repeats that conduct, it raises serious concerns about the standards we should expect from those who seek to represent us. … For these reasons, I am calling on Joseph Arminio to withdraw his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives.”
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Statement posted to Katz’s campaign page on the evening of the forum. It recounts what he said from the stage, says Arminio “acknowledged that he had made an error,” was warned, and “then did it again,” and says that he “called from the stage for the moderator to remove him from the forum.” Reproduced in full by WDEL. The wording it gives for his on-stage apology differs slightly from the recording.
Reporting
About this source
WDEL's report, the first to break the story according to the Washington Blade. It quotes Arminio, the moderator and Katz, and reproduces Katz's statement in full.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
WHYY's report. It says the forum was co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Delaware and the Wilmington Chapter of Hadassah, quotes Katz's apology and statement, and says McBride's office referred it to her posted statement.
Original video
About this source
Joseph Arminio's three-minute opening statement as the second-half U.S. House candidate, identified on his table placard. In it he refers to Rep. Sarah McBride as “his” (“the representative from Delaware, through the net of his comments and his actions”), the audience reacts, and he says “I would like to show respect to the speaker, that would be nice.” Later in the statement the recording captures the words “he's accomplished,” then “she is accomplished,” then Arminio saying “Thank you for the correction.” Moderator Ken Grant then says “We saw an example over the past hour of candidates acting with decorum and with respect towards each other. This is your final warning.” Mike Katz, opening for the U.S. Senate candidates, apologizes to “everybody here and everybody else on the stage” for the comments. The only use of “sorry” in Arminio's remarks in this half is the phrase “I'm sorry to have to say that the representative from Delaware…” that opens the sentence containing the first male terms.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original video
About this source
Answering a question on health care, Arminio says “gentlemen like the two here on this, up here with me on the Democratic Party, and in the Republican Party,” then “may I finish please?” The moderator says he was warned and asks for the microphone to be cut. Rep. Sarah McBride says “Listen, I just want to say here, I don't want this gentleman to not be able to have the ability to…” and is cut off by a call to remove Arminio, which Mike Katz has said he made from the stage. Arminio says “I appreciate that” and the forum continues without him. The recording's fixed camera does not show whom Arminio gestured toward; The Philadelphia Inquirer, WDEL and Spotlight Delaware report that he pointed at McBride and Sen. Chris Coons.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
On stage, opening his remarks after Arminio’s first male terms for McBride, Katz said: “I’d just like to apologize to everybody here and everybody else on the stage. As a physician, I believe in, recognize our common humanity and respect for each other. And so I feel that pain over those comments. My apologies for it.” His written statement quotes those remarks with slightly different wording.
After the quotation
Spotlight Delaware reported that the state Republican Party chair, Gene Truono, did not respond to requests for comment and that many commenters on Katz’s post criticized him for the call. We could not locate a public response from Arminio.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Did Joe Arminio’s misgendering of Sarah McBride warrant his removal from a Delaware candidate forum?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the case’s fixed reference point — Arminio’s use of male terms for McBride at the forum after correction and warning, and his removal for it — Katz condemns. He calls Arminio’s remarks misgendering, says he repeated the conduct after acknowledging his mistake and receiving an explicit warning, backs the removal, and calls on him to withdraw. The call for withdrawal goes beyond the forum removal to Arminio’s candidacy; that is recorded in the statement rather than the label.
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- People and groups discussed
- Joseph Arminio
Did Joe Arminio’s misgendering of Sarah McBride warrant his removal from a Delaware candidate forum?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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