Political scientist, author and educator, born in Wilmington, Delaware, with a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked in public policy and teaching, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Maryland in 2008, and is the Republican nominee for Delaware’s at-large U.S. House seat in 2026.
Case
Republican U.S. House nominee Joe Arminio was removed from a Delaware candidate forum after repeatedly using male terms for Rep. Sarah McBride. She asked that he stay; organizers cited a warning to show respect; fellow Republican Mike Katz urged Arminio to withdraw.
Role at the time: Republican nominee for Delaware’s at-large U.S. House seat, answering a question at the candidates forum
Statement summary
Beginning an answer nearly nine minutes after the moderator’s final warning, Arminio said he had “committed an error” and would acknowledge it, and that it was not the first he had made “or I’m going to make” in the campaign. He did not say what the error was and went on to the economy. About eleven minutes later, in another answer, he again used a male term for McBride.
“Well, first, let me say that I stood in error, or I committed an error before, and I would acknowledge it. And it's not the first error I've made or I'm going to make in this campaign or at any point in my future life.”
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 — Arminio’s answer is mixed. He concedes an error, a partial acknowledgment of the conduct at issue. But he does not say what the error was, does not apologize, generalizes it as “not the first error I’ve made or I’m going to make,” and moves to another subject. The closest competing labels are condemns, which loses because he does not criticize or reject the conduct, and minimizes, which loses because he calls it an error rather than downplaying its seriousness. About eleven minutes later he used a male term for McBride again.
Statement dates: September 17, 2026
Statement dates: September 17, 2026
Statement dates: September 17, 2026
