Delaware primary election 2026: What Republicans are running for the House
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DOVER, Del. - Delaware is gearing up for its primary elections on Sept. 15, the second-to-last state in the country to do so. This year, the state is holding a Republican primary for the state's sole seat in the House of Representatives.
Three Republicans are fighting for the party's nomination. Delaware hasn't had a Republican represent the state in the house since Michael Castle from 1993-2011.
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Delaware primary election 2026: Who’s running for Senate?
Delaware is the second to last state in the country to hold it's primary elections. In total four Democrats and two Republicans are on the ballot in the race for the U.S. Senate.
The winner of this primary will move on to face incumbent Rep. Sara McBride, who is running unopposed, in November. Here are the Republicans hoping to unseat McBride in the U.S. House:
Joseph Arminio
Joseph Arminio
Joseph Arminio is an educator and Delaware native. In addition to teaching history and government at places like Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Arminio says he has done contract work for the U.S. Defense Department.
"Dr. Joe" says he's running for Congress focused on two things — lowering debt and ending foreign wars. Arminio believes that both the incumbent, Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride, and his two primary opponents support policies that make both of those problems worse.
To help fix the economy, he wants to forgive more than $90,000 of private debt for millions of Americans, and implement a tax on stock trades, among other things.
Overseas, Arminio wants to end the Iran War, implement a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, and "[force] Ukraine to make major concessions to Russia.
Aside from his cornerstone issues, Arminio also supports the Save America Act, saying it "hardly goes far enough," and more funding for immigration enforcement.
Earl Cooper
Earl Cooper is a reverend and the President of the Everyone Can Achieve Corporation. Rev. Cooper has spent much of his career focusing on at-risk youth and community outreach.
Cooper says his campaign centers around protecting children, because "boys should not be competing in girls' sports," caring for seniors and helping build small businesses.
Cooper wants to create a "Senior Access Hotline" for Delaware seniors to "speak to a real human being about their concerns, not a machine or endless paperwork."
John Whalen
John Whalen is a 20-year veteran of the Delaware State Police, serving with groups like the K-9 unit, major crimes and a joint task force with the FBI.
Whalen's policy focus is on the economy, Constitutional rights, and foreign policy.
He is in favor of harsher immigration enforcement, protecting the Second Amendment and ending America's involvement in foreign conflicts.
"Americans have already spent too much blood and treasure fighting European wars," Whalen's campaign website reads. "I would find it hard to ask Americans to do it again, short of a NATO country being attacked."
Whalen is also pro-life, but believes in exceptions for rape, incest and threats to the mother's life.
To alleviate the national debt, Whalen said he believes "it's time for Congress to start asking the tough questions," about how federal funding is spent, including on universities and certain government agencies.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Delaware Department of Elections and campaign websites for Joseph Arminio, Earl Cooper and John Whalen.