How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House and U.S. Senate write federal law and set the federal budget, and the Senate also confirms federal judges and approves treaties. Delaware has no statewide ballot questions this year, so the federal races sit at the top of a ballot that also includes state and county offices.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. Delaware has one House seat, elected statewide, so its at-large district covers all of New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties and did not need redrawing after the 2020 census. ​

Local coverage has centered on the cost of living and on federal money for Delaware roads, bridges, schools and health clinics, according to WHYY’s Delaware congressional voter guide. The race drew national attention in September when the Republican nominee was removed from a candidate forum.

Candidates In Brief

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), the Democratic nominee, won the seat in 2024 with 57.9% of the vote and became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, according to McBride’s Ballotpedia profile. McBride represented a Wilmington-area district in the Delaware Senate from 2020 until joining Congress and earlier worked in the Obama White House, for former Gov. Jack Markell and former Attorney General Beau Biden and as national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. McBride had no opponent in the Democratic primary.

Republican Joseph “Joe” Arminio is a Wilmington native and political scientist with a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who has taught at American University and Lincoln University and says Arminio has done contract work for the U.S. Defense Department. Arminio won the Tuesday, Sept. 15, Republican primary with 47.8% of the vote, ahead of John Whalen III and party-endorsed Earl Cooper. Cooper and Scott Walker are running as unaffiliated write-in candidates.

Where They Stand

Cost of living and debt. McBride says, “My North Star, in this moment, is lowering the costs of health care, housing, child care, gas and groceries.” Arminio calls private debt “the primary driver of our failed economy” and backs replacing the tax code with a 10% value-added tax. Arminio would also forgive more than $90,000 of private debt for millions of Americans and tax stock trades, according to FOX 29’s House preview.

Health care and technology. McBride supports “universal health coverage and affordable child care for every family who needs it” and wants rules for emerging technologies that protect workers. Arminio opposes universal health care and wants to break up health care monopolies.

Foreign policy. McBride wants to end “these forever wars” and hold the administration accountable. Arminio opposes the war with Iran, backs a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and would press Ukraine to make major concessions to Russia.

Immigration and elections. McBride wants stronger oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Arminio supports more money for immigration enforcement and backs the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote, saying it “hardly goes far enough.”

In Their Own Words

Sarah McBride, in an interview for WHYY’s voter guide, Tuesday, Oct. 13:

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

Joseph Arminio, in the same guide:

“Congress should have the power to declare war and only Congress.”

Questionnaires And Debates

McBride and Arminio appeared together at a Jewish Federation of Delaware forum at the Siegel Jewish Community Center on Thursday, Sept. 17, according to Delaware Public Media’s forum report. Moderator Ken Grant removed Arminio after Arminio misgendered McBride twice, despite a warning and McBride’s request that Arminio be allowed to stay. Republican Senate nominee Michael Katz backed the removal and called on Arminio to leave the race. McBride has not completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey this cycle.

Endorsements

McBride is endorsed by the Delaware Democratic Party, the state AFL-CIO, teachers’ and letter carriers’ unions, Gov. Matt Meyer, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, according to WHYY. The American Federation of Government Employees also backs McBride and Coons, according to the union’s endorsement announcement. Arminio is endorsed by the Delaware Republican Party, according to WHYY.

Who Is Funding Them

McBride reported raising $5.6 million and spending $3.4 million for the 2026 cycle, with $2.3 million on hand, in Federal Election Commission (FEC) figures as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, shown on AllCiv’s Delaware at-large House race page. Arminio reported raising $12,000 and spending $5,000, with $7,000 on hand and $5,000 in debt, as of Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings. Smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total, so small donors’ names are not public.

The Incumbent’s Record

McBride serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including its Europe and Oversight and Intelligence subcommittees, on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. This Congress, McBride has voted in 641 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Democrats nine times out of 603, according to AllCiv’s vote data. McBride has cosponsored 616 bills.

McBride’s first-term bills include tax credits for small businesses that make disability accommodations, standardized holiday pay, paid family leave and biotechnology education. McBride’s office says it has returned more than $8 million to Delawareans through help with federal agencies.

Challengers’ Records

Arminio has not held public office. Arminio ran for Congress once before, in Maryland’s 2008 Republican primary, and received 1.6% of the vote.

The U.S. Senate Race

What This Office Does

U.S. senators serve six-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. The Senate also confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges, and approves treaties. Delaware has not elected a Republican to the Senate since William Roth left office in 2001, according to Spotlight Delaware’s forum coverage.

Candidates In Brief

Sen. Chris Coons, the Democratic nominee, is seeking a fourth term. Coons won a 2010 special election after Joe Biden became vice president, and before that led New Castle County as council president from 2001 to 2005 and county executive from 2005 to 2010, according to FOX 29’s Senate preview. Coons worked for the manufacturer W.L. Gore and Associates and holds a divinity degree, according to Coons’ Senate biography. Coons won the September Democratic primary with nearly 78% of the vote.

Republican Michael “Mike” Katz is a pediatric critical care anesthesiologist who owns a commercial real estate company. Katz served one term in the Delaware Senate as a Democrat, briefly sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024 as the Independent Party of Delaware nominee, finishing third with 3.9%, according to Katz’s Ballotpedia profile. Katz won the Sept. 15 Republican primary with 77.3% over retired Army Col. John Shulli, who is now running as a write-in candidate.

Where They Stand

Cost of living. Coons says tariffs are driving up costs for Delawareans and that Coons’ experience will help bring prices down, according to WHYY’s forum coverage. Katz says political power in Delaware is “locked down” and wants first-time homebuyer incentives and more U.S. manufacturing jobs.

Health care. Coons defends the Affordable Care Act and blames the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act for letting its subsidies expire and cutting Medicaid. Katz says the law “has a lot of really good things in it” but is “a failed policy” overall, and would repeal it and rebuild the system from “a clean slate.”

Social Security. Coons cosponsors a bill to lift the $184,500 cap on wages subject to the Social Security tax and would join a bipartisan commission to shore up the trust fund. Katz says Katz would “do the diagnosis” before proposing fixes and does not necessarily support raising the retirement age.

Iran. Coons says President Donald Trump started the war with Iran without a plan and must seek authorization from Congress, telling the forum, “if the president is going to take us to war, he owes it to you to make the case,” per Delaware Public Media’s Senate forum report. Katz says the war was needed to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon but should end, and criticizes Coons’ support for the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, as reported by CNN at the time.

Israel and Ukraine. Coons would reconsider military aid to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves to annex the West Bank or ignores humanitarian needs in Gaza, and has proposed sanctions on those building settlements meant to block a two-state solution. Katz says Israel has a right to exist and Hamas must be disarmed, but U.S. taxpayers should not pay for arms for wealthy allies such as Israel. Coons says Russian President Vladimir Putin alone is responsible for the war in Ukraine and criticizes Trump for “abandoning Ukraine.”

Immigration. Coons backs humane enforcement, including body cameras for ICE officers and a judicial warrant for arrests. Katz wants to finish the southern border wall, withhold federal money from sanctuary cities and pass the SAVE Act.

Artificial intelligence and term limits. Both candidates want guardrails on artificial intelligence, and Katz says, “AI is a tool; it’s not a replacement for human beings.” Katz would introduce a constitutional amendment for congressional term limits on the first day in office.

In Their Own Words

Chris Coons, at the Rotary Club of Wilmington forum, Thursday, Oct. 22:

“This is a moment that requires bipartisan, steady, capable leadership.”

Michael Katz, at the same forum:

“Over these 16 years, Delaware has become unaffordable and is dying.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Coons and Katz met once, at the Rotary Club of Wilmington forum at the Hotel du Pont on Oct. 22, the first day of early voting, moderated by Spotlight Delaware editor Jacob Owens. Coons declined a student-organized debate at the University of Delaware that Katz accepted, according to Delaware Live’s report on the student debate, and Katz says Coons also turned down a WDEL and CoastTV debate. On Monday, Sept. 28, Katz asked both state parties to organize a televised debate, saying, “Delaware voters deserve better,” according to Delaware Live’s report on the debate request.

Katz completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey and spoke with Delaware Public Media for its candidate conversations series. At the forum, Katz said the campaign’s communications had been hacked and staff threatened, without naming anyone, and a Coons spokesperson said Coons’ team has faced hacks and threats too.

Endorsements

Coons is endorsed by Meyer, Blunt Rochester, McBride and Attorney General Kathy Jennings, who backed Coons when Coons launched the campaign on Friday, June 12, according to WGMD. Before the primary, Giffords PAC also endorsed Coons, citing Coons’ role in passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, according to the Giffords PAC announcement.

Katz is endorsed by the Delaware Republican Party, which gave Katz 82% of the vote at its convention, several county Republican parties and the Independent Party of Delaware, according to Katz’s Ballotpedia profile. Katz signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge in 2024 and again this year.

Who Is Funding Them

These are FEC totals for the 2026 cycle as shown on AllCiv’s Delaware U.S. Senate race page as of Wednesday, Oct. 14. Coons reported raising $7.7 million and spending $4.5 million, with $5 million on hand. Katz reported raising $190,000 and spending $174,000, with $16,000 on hand and $129,000 in debt. Coons has pledged to stop taking donations from the data company Palantir after it gave the campaign $27,500, according to Spotlight Delaware.

The Incumbent’s Record

Coons serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where Coons is the top Democrat on the defense subcommittee, and on the Foreign Relations, Judiciary and Small Business and Entrepreneurship committees, and is vice chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. This Congress, Coons has voted in 823 of 869 roll call votes and voted against most Democrats 45 times out of 814, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Coons has cosponsored 526 bills.

Coons’ bills this Congress deal with deepfakes, energy security and national security. Coons co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Law Enforcement Caucus and wrote the NICS Denial Notification Act, which requires federal authorities to alert state and local police when a barred buyer fails a gun background check.

Challengers’ Records

Katz represented the 4th District in North Wilmington in the Delaware Senate from 2009 to 2013 and lost reelection in 2012 to Republican Greg Lavelle. Katz has not served in Congress.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

Heritage Action for America, the AFL-CIO and the League of Conservation Voters each publish scorecards rating Coons’ Senate votes. Different groups score different sets of votes, so their ratings measure different things.

Also On Your Ballot

Delaware has no statewide ballot questions this year. Your district’s sample ballot, posted on the Delaware Department of Elections sample ballot page, lists the state legislative and county races you will see.

Before You Go

Still Ahead

  • Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and you must vote at your assigned polling place, according to the Delaware Department of Elections general election page.
  • Absentee ballots are only for eligible voters, such as military members, voters temporarily overseas and voters with disabilities, and must be received by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to FOX 29’s voting guide.
  • ID: You will be asked for identification, such as a Delaware driver license or state ID card, or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document with your name and address. Photo ID is not required, and a voter without ID may vote after signing an affidavit confirming identity.
  • In the booth: You may bring children 17 and younger, but you may not talk on a cell phone or wear items about a candidate in the polling place, and you have three minutes in the voting booth, according to the Delaware Department of Elections voting FAQ.
  • Questions: Call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Deadlines That Have Passed

  • Registration closed Saturday, Oct. 10.
  • Absentee ballot requests were due Friday, Oct. 30.
  • Early voting ran from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Endorsements

Voting Information

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