Michael Katz
Role at the time: Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Delaware and a candidate on stage at the forum, in a campaign statement
Statement summary
In a statement posted the evening of the forum, Katz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, said Arminio had misgendered McBride, acknowledged a mistake, received an explicit warning and “then did it again,” and that he had “called from the stage for the moderator to remove him.” He said disagreement “is not an excuse for disrespect” and called on Arminio to withdraw his candidacy for the U.S. House.
“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.”
Why we used this label
On 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.