Stakes are high in Delaware’s midterm elections, with Democrats needing to flip only one House seat to own a complete super majority in the General Assembly.
And last week, GOP candidates at the top of the ticket seemed at odds when Republican candidate for U.S. House, Joseph Arminio, was removed from a candidates forum for misgendering incumbent Congresswoman Sarah McBride. The GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Dr. Mike Katz, supported his removal - and subsequently called for Arminio to leave the race.
But the head of Delaware’s GOP, Gene Truono, said a public disagreement between its candidates at the top of the ticket won’t affect downballot candidates, which are the races he's focused on.
He said candidates for statewide seats are, "really responsible for running their own campaigns."
Truono added Delaware’s GOP hasn’t seen a shift in polling numbers after the forum.
"If anything, this kind of heightened press coverage around the statements... now opens the door for dialogue," he said,
While Katz called for Arminio's removal, Truono said parties don’t have a mechanism for removing a candidate.
"If one candidate says (another) should be removed, that's on them," he said.
Since the disagreement, the infighting at the top of the ticket has prompted write-in candidates to file in both Katz and Arminio’s races.
Truono said anyone who wants to run is welcome. But he notes write-in candidates usually have a difficult time creating the momentum necessary to win.
