But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Rhett Marques

Republican · U.S. House, Alabama District 2
✗From an endorsement
How this mark works

We track key votes on sending U.S. weapons and money to the government of Israel. A check means every tracked vote they cast came down against sending more, on the side of peace and de-escalation. A question mark means a mixed record: they sided with sending up to half of the time. An X means they voted to send more weapons and money in over half of their tracked votes, even as the way those weapons and dollars were being used became more and more obvious. At exactly half, money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track, or an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons, makes it an X. Only votes actually cast are counted. Where a candidate has no recorded votes on these bills, the mark comes instead from a reviewed reading of their public record (money from the lobbying groups we track, endorsements, and their own words since January 26, 2024). There an X also covers fully backing the conduct of the war by the government of Israel without significant reservations, and a question mark also covers speaking about Israel without saying clearly where they stand on U.S. weapons and funding. A dash means No Position Found: we found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.

No recorded votes on the bills we track. Endorsed by Republican Jewish Coalition.

Marques’s platform says supporting Israel is a Christian calling and a strategic interest “against the radical terrorist forces that want to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the planet”, pledging to back the President’s peace efforts and end “endless wars”. Nothing located addresses U.S. aid to Palestinians.

✉  Email the campaign

The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.

Deep Dive

Marques is the Republican nominee in Alabama’s 2nd District, a state representative whose primary win awaits the party’s certification later this month.

His own campaign site states his frame in one passage: “As a Christian, I believe we are called to strongly support Israel. And as an American, I know it’s in our strategic interests to do so against the radical terrorist forces that want to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the planet. I will support President Trump’s efforts to bring sustainable peace to the Middle East and end the endless wars that have cost countless American lives and resources.” That is a support-and-restraint pairing: strong support for Israel beside an end to “endless wars”, with no transfer, package or condition named, and this card does not supply one.

In the state legislature he co-sponsored a 2026 joint resolution recommending that Alabama state entities replace the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in official materials, describing the region as the historic homeland of the Jewish people. That is terminology policy from his current office, recorded as what it is.

Nothing located has him addressing U.S. humanitarian aid for Palestinians at any date. A February 2026 devotional statement on regional security sits on a page that does not open and is on the research page.

The money

Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found

2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-09-27) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Endorsed by Republican Jewish Coalition
Republican Jewish CoalitionThe Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

Endorsements

Republican Jewish Coalition (2026 endorsement)

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • Nothing located that names a transfer, package or condition.
  • [Position, undated live page] His campaign site, quoted on the card. Opened and confirmed word for word on 2026-08-21; a single-page site whose text interleaves section headings, so the paragraph was verified as a contiguous block in the page source. A live platform page, banded to the read date.
  • [Reported, unopenable source] A fuller platform entry, including a Genesis-covenant formulation (“to be blessed as a nation, one must bless Israel”), is reported from localcandidates.org topic pages, which could not be opened. The covenant wording does not appear on his own site and is not used; it is written out here so a reader can see what is reported.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2026-04-17] Co-sponsor of Alabama House Joint Resolution 241, per BillTrack50: state entities to adopt “Judea and Samaria” in place of “West Bank”, characterizing the region as the biblically and historically accurate homeland of the Jewish people. A state resolution with multiple sponsors; the registry’s resolution number is the registry’s.
  • [Position, 2026-02-28, carrier does not open] A statement on regional security is reported: “We pray for the long-suffering Iranian people and for the safety and security of the nation of Israel. When America leads with strength, the United States and the world are safer.” The address, https://www.facebook.com/RepRhettMarques/posts/may-god-bless-and-protect-our-troops-as-they-carry-out-this-mission/, returns 400 to us. Iran material stays out of the card summary in any case.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • Nothing located on lobbying organizations. No tracked funding badge appears because no committee support is recorded for him.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • The platform passage quoted on the card carries his framing of threats to Jewish people. [Prior, 2022-05] In a candidate survey from his state legislative race, the boycott, divestment and sanctions proposition was left unanswered; under the questionnaire test an unanswered item is a fact about the form.

Race and status context

  • The Republican nominee pending certification: his primary margin was ten votes over the majority line on the unofficial count, and the party certifies on 2026-08-24. Per Ballotpedia.
  • He has held no federal office, so there are no recorded votes on this card.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Shomari C. Figures (Democrat)

All Alabama candidates.

But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open Find Your Candidates for votes, funding and contact details.