A statewide candidate forum intended to introduce Delaware voters to their general-election choices instead became the setting for an abrupt removal and a new dispute inside the Republican ticket.
The confrontation followed repeated remarks about Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride’s gender, a moderator’s explicit warning and a second comment that prompted organizers to end the speaker’s participation.
Republican U.S. House candidate Joe Arminio was asked to leave Thursday’s forum after repeatedly referring to McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, with male pronouns and as a “gentleman.”
The event was hosted in Wilmington by the Jewish Federation of Delaware and the Siegel Jewish Community Center as an early general-election forum for candidates seeking statewide offices.
Arminio is challenging McBride for Delaware’s lone seat in the U.S. House after the two candidates advanced from their respective party primaries.
During one response, Arminio referred to McBride using male language, drawing objections from members of the audience and a direct warning from moderator Ken Grant.
“This is your final warning: If you fail to show respect to anyone else on this stage, you will be asked to leave,” Grant told the Republican candidate.
Arminio subsequently acknowledged that he had committed what he called an “error” and noted that it was not the first mistake he had made during the campaign.
Approximately 12 minutes later, while discussing healthcare costs, Arminio referred to McBride and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons as “gentlemen,” prompting organizers to enforce the earlier warning.
McBride did not request Arminio’s removal and attempted to prevent organizers from ejecting her opponent, according to her campaign and local reporting from the event.
Her campaign later emphasized that event organizers made the final decision to remove Arminio under the rules of decorum established for the forum.
“Nothing — and certainly not politicians seeking to go viral — will ever distract me from my laser focus on lowering the cost of gas, groceries, housing, childcare, and healthcare,” McBride wrote on X.
The dispute quickly spread beyond the House contest when Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mike Katz called on Arminio to withdraw from the race.
Katz said candidates should be free to debate major political and policy disagreements vigorously while maintaining what he described as basic standards of civility and respect.
“We can disagree strongly about policy, politics, and the direction of our country,” Katz said, adding that such disagreements are part of American democracy.
“But disagreement is not an excuse for disrespect,” the Republican Senate nominee said in his statement calling for Arminio to end his candidacy.
Katz argued that repeating the conduct after acknowledging the first incident and receiving an explicit warning raised questions about the standards expected from candidates seeking public office.
Arminio initially told Action News on Thursday night that he would address the controversy, but he did not respond to the outlet’s subsequent requests for comment Friday.
I am always so proud to represent Delaware and Delawareans.
Nothing – and certainly not politicians seeking to go viral – will ever distract me from my laser focus on lowering the cost of gas, groceries, housing, childcare, and healthcare.
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) September 18, 2026
During a 2025 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Republican Rep. Keith Self of Texas introduced McBride as “mister” while serving as the committee’s chairman.
McBride responded by thanking “Madame Chair,” and the exchange drew national attention before the hearing continued.
McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress after winning Delaware’s at-large House seat in 2024 and is now seeking another term.
It also created a visible split among Delaware Republicans, with their Senate nominee publicly urging the party’s House nominee to abandon his campaign weeks before the November election.
Whether Arminio remains in the contest is his decision, but the forum dispute has shifted early attention away from policy differences and toward his conduct onstage, ABC News reported.
The incident ended with McBride remaining at the forum, Arminio removed under the organizers’ rules and a fellow Republican candidate demanding that he leave the race entirely.
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