Sarah McBride

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Democrat U.S. Rep. McBride and Republican Arminio outline their priorities on the economy, health care, immigration and foreign policy ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride is seeking a second consecutive term in Congress, while Republican Joseph Arminio is hoping to unseat her in the Nov. 3 general election.

McBride won Delaware’s lone U.S. House seat in 2024, becoming the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. She advanced to the general election after running unopposed in September’s primary for the Democratic nomination. Arminio is challenging the incumbent after winning the Republican primary that also included businessman and former pastor Earl Cooper and attorney John Whalen III.

The race will determine who represents Delaware’s at-large congressional district, which encompasses the entire state, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The candidates offer different approaches to addressing the country’s economic challenges and foreign policy. McBride has made lowering the cost of living a central part of her campaign, while Arminio argues that reducing private and public debt is key to reviving the economy. Both have also addressed immigration and the federal government’s role in enforcing the law.

Delaware election 2026: Midterm voter guides, key races and more

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Here’s what Delawareans should know beforehand, from what’s at stake to who’s on the ballot and beyond.

Delaware’s congressional district is a single at-large district that covers the entire state. First established during the 1st U.S. Congress in 1789, it remains the nation’s longest continuously serving congressional district.

Democrats have held the seat since 2010, when former Gov. John Carney won the election to the House. Carney served three terms before former U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester won the seat in 2016. Blunt Rochester later won election to the U.S. Senate in 2024, becoming Delaware’s first woman and first Black woman elected to the chamber.

McBride is one of 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The party that controls the chamber has significant influence over which legislation advances, federal spending and congressional oversight of the executive branch.

The November election comes as both parties compete for control of Congress. The outcome will help determine which party sets the House agenda and how lawmakers approach issues including health care, immigration, the economy and federal spending.

A member of Congress represents the people living within their district. Because Delaware has only one congressional district, its representative serves residents across New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties.

House members introduce and vote on legislation, serve on committees, oversee federal agencies and advocate for their constituents’ needs. They can also help residents navigate federal agencies and access services and benefits.

Joseph Arminio wins GOP primary, will face Rep. Sarah McBride for Delaware’s lone U.S. House seat in November

Arminio, a Wilmington native, campaigned heavily on economic issues, citing inflation and the cost of living as major issues facing Delawareans.

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride is seeking reelection after two years representing Delaware in the House of Representatives. Before winning the congressional seat in 2024, she served in the Delaware state Senate, where she worked on legislation involving paid family and medical leave and Medicaid funding.

McBride spoke on her time in Congress, highlighting an effort to bring federal resources to Delaware, strengthen protections for working families and challenge policies she believes are harming residents.

She has worked alongside U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investments and grants to Delaware for infrastructure, schools, health clinics, roads and bridges.

McBride also said her congressional office has returned more than $8 million directly to Delaware residents through constituent advocacy. She said the work earned her office recognition from a nonpartisan nonprofit for its constituent services among Democratic House members.

Before entering Congress, McBride helped pass Delaware’s paid family and medical leave program as a state senator. She also pointed to the Protect Medicaid Act of 2024, which she said resulted in the largest infusion of new resources into Delaware’s Medicaid program since the federal Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010.

In Congress, McBride said she has continued working with Democrats and Republicans on legislation addressing workplace benefits and consumer protections. She also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has criticized the Trump administration’s approach to international conflicts.

McBride said working across party lines has been a consistent part of her approach to public office.

“It’s not easy to bring home resources to our state in a dysfunctional Washington,” McBride said of the federal investments she said she helped secure.

McBride said her second-term agenda would focus on affordability, from health care and child care to housing and everyday expenses. She also wants to reverse federal cuts to health care and food assistance and expand access to services for working families.

“My North Star, in this moment, is lowering the costs of health care, housing, child care, gas and groceries,” McBride told WHYY News. “That means reversing the food assistance and health care cuts passed by the Republican [controlled] Congress. It means leading the charge toward universal health coverage and affordable child care for every family who needs it. It means building the homes of tomorrow that make home ownership within reach.”

Beyond the cost of living, McBride said Congress must address the effects of emerging technologies on workers and hold the administration accountable for its foreign policy decisions.

“It means regulating new technologies so that we protect the American worker and we do not make the rich richer,” she said. “It means ending these forever wars by holding this administration accountable and protecting American service members and American taxpayers from these reckless international entanglements that this administration promised to end but has ensnared us in even more over the last two years.”

Immigration is another issue in the race. Asked about her opponent Arminio’s focus on immigration policy, McBride said the country should maintain border security, while changing how federal authorities enforce immigration laws.

“We can have a secure border and [a] humane immigration system all at the same time,” she said.

McBride criticized the resources Congress has directed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that the agency needs stronger oversight and clearer limits on its authority. She said the country needs an immigration system that holds enforcement agencies accountable, while protecting communities and families.

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride has been endorsed by:

In addition, McBride is also endorsed by Delaware U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, Gov. Matt Meyer and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Joseph Arminio is a Wilmington native, political scientist, author and educator running for Congress in Delaware. He holds a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he concentrated on defense and foreign policy, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University. He has also taught at American University and Lincoln University.

Arminio said his career has focused on public policy, initially concentrating on national defense and foreign af