Photo: Delaware LIVE photo take a Katz Headquarters on 9/15. Dr. Mike Katz is pictured with his wife moments after announcing his victory.
Senate nominee emphasizes affordability and unity; House nominee centers campaign on restoring economic growth and ending overseas wars
DOVER, Del. — Delaware Republicans selected two candidates with unconventional political backgrounds Tuesday, hoping Dr. Mike Katz and Dr. Joe Arminio can expand the party’s reach and make the state’s federal races more competitive in November.
Katz, a physician, business owner and former Democratic state senator, captured about 77% of the Republican vote for U.S. Senate, according to unofficial election returns. Arminio, a political scientist, author and educator, won approximately 48% in the three-way Republican primary for Delaware’s lone U.S. House seat.
Katz will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, while Arminio will challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride. Both Democratic incumbents begin the general election with Delaware’s recent voting history on their side, but the Republican nominees bring approaches that differ from those of traditional GOP candidates.
Katz wins with coalition message
Katz’s decisive victory over John Shulli affirmed the Delaware Republican Party’s decision to endorse a candidate who has belonged to three political parties.
Katz represented northern New Castle County in the Delaware Senate as a Democrat from 2009 to 2013. He later became an independent and ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 before joining the Republican Party for the 2026 campaign.
Instead of avoiding that history, Katz incorporated it into a campaign centered on “people over party.” His campaign argues that Republicans cannot win statewide in Delaware without attracting independents and some Democrats who are dissatisfied with the cost of living, government performance and the direction of the state.
In his primary victory speech, Katz said he heard similar concerns while speaking with voters across the political spectrum.
“Delaware families are facing an affordability crisis,” Katz said. “The cost of housing, food, health care, energy and simply raising a family has become too high.”
Katz presented himself as a physician and business operator who would bring a problem-solving approach to Washington. His platform emphasizes reducing federal spending, cutting regulations, lowering energy and housing costs, expanding health care access and protecting Delaware employers.
“Leadership is not about talking about problems,” Katz said. “Leadership is about solving them.”
Katz said his medical and business experience taught him to examine evidence, bring people together, make difficult decisions and accept responsibility for the results. He argued that government should operate with the same accountability.
“Public office is not about power or titles, and it should never be about the person holding the office,” Katz said. “Those entrusted with public office — our public servants — work for you.”
His platform also includes traditional Republican positions on border enforcement, public safety, gun rights, election laws and women’s sports. Katz said those principles would not prevent him from working with people outside his party.
“We can stand firmly on our principles and still work with people who disagree with us,” Katz said. “I will work with anyone who is willing to work with me to solve problems for the people of Delaware.”
Coons, meanwhile, is seeking a third full term and won about 78% of the Democratic primary vote against three challengers. He enters the general election with the advantages of incumbency, a substantial campaign organization and more than a decade in the Senate.
Arminio campaigns on two sweeping ideas
The House primary produced a different message.
Arminio defeated attorney John Whalen III and Earl Cooper, the candidate endorsed by the Delaware Republican Party at its state convention. Unofficial returns showed Arminio with about 48%, Whalen with 32% and Cooper with 20%.
The result demonstrated that the party endorsement was not decisive for Republican voters in the congressional contest.
Arminio is a Wilmington native who holds a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has taught at American University and Lincoln University and has worked on national defense and public policy issues.
He built his campaign around two sweeping ideas: stopping what he calls America’s “endless wars” and returning the country to economic growth comparable to the 1950s.
Arminio argues that the two issues are connected. He says stronger domestic growth and a less interventionist foreign policy would allow the country to direct more attention and resources toward American families, communities and businesses.
His foreign policy proposal, which he calls “The Grand Bargain,” would reduce American involvement in overseas conflicts and pursue negotiated settlements in Europe and the Middle East. Arminio argues that the United States should avoid prolonged foreign entanglements while maintaining enough military and economic strength to deter adversaries.
Arminio has presented voters with detailed explanations of both proposals through campaign materials, policy documents and public appearances. Whether those plans would produce the results he promises — and how they would affect economic growth, national security and America’s alliances — will likely become central questions in the general election campaign.
Following his primary victory, Arminio said Republican voters had endorsed a campaign focused on developing substantial solutions rather than relying on slogans.
“I am grateful Republican voters endorsed a campaign committed to doing the hard work required to solve the issues facing our communities,” Arminio told Delaware LIVE. “I thank my two opponents for stepping forward and offering their ideas. I echo Delaware Republican Party Chairman Gene Truono’s call for unity. Now is the time for Delawareans who want change to come together and work to defeat U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride in November.”
McBride, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, is seeking a second term in the House.
Can Republicans make Delaware competitive?
The nominations give the Delaware GOP two candidates who can argue that they are offering something different from standard party politics.
Katz is campaigning as a coalition-builder with experience in medicine, business and more than one political party. Arminio is offering detailed but unconventional plans intended to reshape American economic and foreign policy.
Those differences could help Republicans generate attention and focus the general election on affordability, government spending, energy costs, health care, economic growth and America’s involvement in overseas conflicts.
However, making Delaware competitive will require more than distinctive biographies and policy proposals.
Democrats have held Delaware’s U.S. House seat since 2010. McBride won the 2024 election with 57.9% of the vote, compared with 42.1% for Whalen. Republicans have not won a Delaware U.S. Senate election since William Roth’s reelection in 1994. Coons won his most recent election in 2020 with 59.4% of the vote.
The last Republican elected to federal office from Delaware was former U.S. Rep. Mike Castle, who won his final House election in 2008 and served until 2011. Castle was known as a fiscal conservative and social moderate who regularly attracted voters outside his party.
Katz used his victory speech to make a similar appeal beyond the Republican base.
“Ultimately, there are no Republican families, Democratic families or independent families,” Katz said. “There are Delaware families. We are neighbors. We are one community. We share a future and a responsibility.”
Katz and Arminio will now have to demonstrate that their messages can reach voters beyond the Republican primary. The November campaigns will test whether Delaware voters see their unconventional backgrounds and policy plans as credible alternatives or continue the state’s long pattern of supporting Democratic candidates for federal office.
To Go Box
- What: Delaware general election
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- U.S. Senate: Republican Mike Katz faces Democratic incumbent Chris Coons.
- U.S. House: Republican Joe Arminio faces Democratic incumbent Sarah McBride.
- Election information: Voter registration, polling places, absentee voting information and official results are available at elections.delaware.gov. and on www.DelawareLIVE.com
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