We are building a system with Red Hat on a rather new Windows class machine. Plenty of CPU cores, memory, and hard drive, Intel X86, 64 bit architecture. It will boot Red Hat only.

We need to write some code in C++ for an ARM Cortex 9 CPU, an embedded system. We need the ability to copy the executables over to the embedded target and run.

If we can run in an emulated environment under the IDE that would be really helpful.

Can we build the code for X86, debug it, then build for ARM with a greater expectation of success? The app will be using CoAP transactions.

What is the easiest IDE to use for a Linux newbie?

To quote the Kerryman when asked for directions: "If I was You, I wouldn't start from here at all." I would

1. Head over to Http://www.linuxfromscratch.org and check out the CLFS project
2. Don't put Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora, or any Red Hat distro on your building box, because they are known to behave poorly with LFS. They patch normal code big time. Use any mainstream distro - debian, ubuntu, slackware, etc.

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We are not going the LFS (Linux From Scratch) route. I work for the government and this project must use Red Hat. Given that, what are good selections for the IDE and the cross compiler to build for ARM Cortex?

You can use google as well as me, my friend. I'm sure the difficulties I mentioned with Red Hat will plague you wherever the system is involved. CLFS is one respectable project, but there's bound to be others. If you have to use Red hat, and it makes your system puke like it has others, consider a VM for your compilation.
On this There's many differences between x86(_64) and Arm: Instruction sets; Capabilities; Endianness
I see no advantage at all in compiling code in x86_64 first. It's no guarantee that the libs, headers, includes, and compiler in your arm setup will compile it. Neither are you likely to be able to test it. I don't get the bit about CoAP transactions.

Your task will be carefully setting up an ide in x86_64 which only sees Arm libs, includes, headers etc. and not polluting that in any way. You may be able to set up an Arm VM using your Red Hat Box and that's the first option I'd explore. Alternatively, many distros for Arm exist, and even the Raspberry Pi makes a respectable if not the fastest compiler. So don't waste time.