But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Jeff Wadlin
Libertarian · U.S. Senate, Arkansas
?Mixed
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In a September 2026 campaign-page post he writes "Tom Cotton (Israel’s ambassador to the US?) is furious about this new ad", without saying where he stands on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
Jeff Wadlin is the Libertarian nominee for the U.S. Senate in Arkansas, chosen at his party's convention in February 2026, and faces Senator Tom Cotton, the Republican, and Hallie Shoffner, the Democrat, on November 3. He is a Bentonville businessman trained as an engineer, who ran membership nationwide at Sam's Club before starting his own consulting business. He has run before, for justice of the peace, for city council and in 2018 for his party's nomination for the U.S. House, without winning, so there are no Senate votes on this record.
His platform's foreign policy section is headed "Peace through strength, trade, and diplomacy." It says the United States should engage abroad only where there is a clear American strategic or economic interest, and that he opposes wars of aggression and open-ended military action Congress has not authorized. On aid it reads: "Foreign aid and military assistance should serve defined American interests, not ideology or permanent dependency. Wealthy allies should contribute more to their own defense, and assistance should use loans, cost-sharing, reimbursement, and arms purchases rather than blank checks funded entirely by American taxpayers." The section names Ukraine, which he would help on conditions, and Iran. It does not mention Israel, Gaza or Palestinians, and neither does anything else on his campaign site or in the ten statements in his campaign's news section.
The only mention of Israel we found from him is about Cotton. On September 29, 2026, his campaign's Facebook page posted a video captioned "Tom Cotton (Israel’s ambassador to the US?) is furious about this new ad." In a comment under it that evening, the page called the video "an obvious AI satirical twist" on a recent welfare ad by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and added: "And my comment about Cotton being the Israeli embassador to the U.S. is also satire, hence the “?”." Neither says what he would have the United States send the government of Israel.
He debates Shoffner on Arkansas TV on October 12. If you want his answer on weapons and money for the government of Israel, and on aid to Palestinians, you are better placed to get it than we are: ask Wadlin directly and send us the reply.
In their words
“Foreign aid and military assistance should serve defined American interests, not ideology or permanent dependency. Wealthy allies should contribute more to their own defense, and assistance should use loans, cost-sharing, reimbursement, and arms purchases rather than blank checks funded entirely by American taxpayers.”
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
Every page named below was opened and read on 2026-10-05 unless the entry says otherwise. His campaign site was read in full: the home, about, issues, news and events pages, and the full text of all ten statements in its news section. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. Wadlin has never held office, so none of the Senate votes this site tracks is his, and no funding from the committees this site tracks is recorded on this record. Nothing located on this subject falls in the reaction window.
U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel
Nothing located that names Israel, at any date.
[Position, read 2026-10-05] His campaign platform, in its foreign policy section, sets a general rule for all foreign aid and names no country: "Foreign aid and military assistance should serve defined American interests, not ideology or permanent dependency. Wealthy allies should contribute more to their own defense, and assistance should use loans, cost-sharing, reimbursement, and arms purchases rather than blank checks funded entirely by American taxpayers." The page carries no date and is recorded on the date we read it.
[Position, read 2026-10-05] The same section, headed "Peace through strength, trade, and diplomacy.", says: "We should engage abroad only when there is a clear American strategic or economic interest, strengthen reliable allies, open markets for Arkansas farmers and businesses, and avoid conflicts that do not make us safer or more prosperous." and "I oppose wars of aggression and open-ended military action that Congress has not authorized." Its military section, headed "A leaner, smarter, stronger defense.", says: "We should reduce unnecessary overseas bases, reject preventive wars, restore Congress’s constitutional war powers, and demand far more capability for every defense dollar."
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, at any date. His platform's line on foreign aid names no program and no recipient.
Characterization of the conflict
Nothing located, at any date. The words Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Hamas and antisemitism appear nowhere in the text of his campaign site or its ten news statements.
Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying
[Position, 2026-09-29] A video his campaign's Facebook page posted, captioned "Tom Cotton (Israel’s ambassador to the US?) is furious about this new ad." The page's own data dates it September 29, 2026, at 3:35 p.m. Central time. The same video opens at its own address, https://www.facebook.com/reel/1408132718108542/ , with the same caption.
[Position, 2026-09-29] In a comment posted under the same video by the campaign's page that evening (10:27 p.m. Central time): "This is an obvious AI satirical twist on Gov. Sander’s recent welfare ad, poached from some X account." and "And my comment about Cotton being the Israeli embassador to the U.S. is also satire, hence the “?”." The words are the page's own, including its spellings.
[Position, 2026-09-28] A post on the same page, dated by the page's own data September 28, 2026, at 10:45 p.m. Central time: "Tom “Chicken” Cotton won’t debate me. Only Shoffner." and "And only on his turf: Salem Media." It is about debates, not about Israel. Under it, a member of the public commented that a Salem Media executive's firm had registered as a foreign agent for the State of Israel. That is a third party's claim and nothing is taken from it. Our research reported that the campaign answered that comment with "Shocking stuff. Thanks for sharing"; that reply did not appear in the part of the comment thread we could read, so it is unconfirmed, and a reply to a commenter would not be used as his quote in any case.
No statement by him about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or any other organization on this subject, was found.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not an answer to what America sends)
Nothing located, at any date. His platform says, in its section on personal freedom, "Religious Americans deserve freedom of belief and worship." It does not mention antisemitism.
What the campaign site and own pages say
[Read 2026-10-05] His home page describes him as neither a Republican nor a Democrat and "not beholden to a party, a PAC, or a political tribe." His about page gives his background: born in Richmond, Virginia; aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia; Caterpillar; an MBA from Northwestern; a company in Illinois; Capital One; membership at Sam's Club in Bentonville; his own consulting business. It records earlier runs for justice of the peace, city council and, in 2018, the Libertarian nomination for the U.S. House.
[Read 2026-10-05] His platform covers affordability and tariffs, healthcare, farming, the safety net, fiscal policy and Social Security, taxes, immigration, energy and climate, education, term limits and elections, surveillance and the Fourth Amendment, guns, drug policy, foreign policy, the military, veterans, personal freedom and abortion. In foreign policy it names two countries. It would help Ukraine "defend its sovereignty, with clear objectives, accountability, allied burden-sharing, and a realistic path toward peace". On Iran it says "Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon, but war should be the last resort", and it criticizes Cotton's opposition to the 2015 nuclear agreement.
[Position, 2026-05-19 to 2026-08-24] The ten statements in his campaign's news section are about his nomination, his campaign launch, his statewide tour, his first advertisement and the debates. Two describe him as committed to "peaceful foreign policy" (August 4 and July 13), and his launch statement of May 19 says he will focus on "putting a stop to needless wars". None mentions Israel, Gaza or aid to any country.
[Read 2026-10-05] His Ballotpedia page records that he has not completed the 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
[Read 2026-10-05] His 2026 iVoterGuide profile shows "Did not answer" on all 32 of its questions, including "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?", and lists no biography. A form answered on no question is a fact about the guide's coverage, not about him.
[Read 2026-10-05] The Libertarian Party's candidate page carries one line from him: "I’m running as a centrist to bring all Arkansans together and find pragmatic solutions to the most important challenges that we all have in common."
The race
[Read 2026-10-05] Ballotpedia: "Incumbent Tom Cotton (R), Hallie Shoffner (D), and Jeff Wadlin (L) are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Arkansas on November 3, 2026." He advanced from the Libertarian Party convention on February 22, 2026.
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
Axios Northwest Arkansas's profile of his campaign, published September 23, 2026: https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/09/23/libertarian-candidate-jeff-wadlin . It refused both ways we tried. A search engine's summary suggests it covers his views on the Iran war and on defense; whether it mentions Israel is unknown.
5NEWS's report of his nomination: https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/politics/bentonville-businessman-announces-libertarian-nomination-for-arkansas-us-senate-election/527-c7898b31-7938-4b78-aeb0-c9d1caca863d . It refused both ways we tried.
The rest of the comment thread under the September 28 post, where the reply our research reported would be.
His X account https://x.com/jeffwadlin , his Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffwadlin/ and his Threads account https://www.threads.com/@jeffwadlin , all linked from his campaign site, were not read.
Not on the card, and why
The Facebook caption and the comment calling it satire are in the deep dive, not the front: they are remarks about Cotton, not a position on what the United States sends.
The detail of his platform's paragraph on Iran, including his criticism of Cotton over the 2015 nuclear agreement: not about what the United States sends the government of Israel or Palestinians. Recorded above.
His support for helping Ukraine: out of scope. Recorded above.
The September 28 post about debates, the commenter's claim about Salem Media, and the reply our research reported: about debates, a third party's claim, and an unconfirmed reply. Recorded above.
His platform on the economy, healthcare, farming, immigration, guns, surveillance, drug policy, education, elections and abortion: out of scope.
His blank iVoterGuide form: every question is blank, so it says nothing about him.
Tom Cotton's and Hallie Shoffner's records: they are on their own cards.
Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1408132718108542/ (opened; 2026-10-05; the same video)
https://www.facebook.com/JeffWadlinForArkansas/posts/tom-chicken-cotton-wont-debate-me-only-shoffner-and-only-on-his-turf-salem-media/122129531937280264/ (opened; 2026-10-05; posted 2026-09-28; part of the comment thread loaded)
https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/04/07/issue-spotlight-where-arkansas-u-s-senate-candidates-stand-on-the-iran-war/ (opened; 2026-10-05; published 2026-04-07; it does not mention him)
https://www.kait8.com/2026/05/19/libertarian-candidate-announces-bid-arkansas-us-senate-seat/ (opened; 2026-10-05; published 2026-05-19)
https://talkbusiness.net/2026/02/arkansas-libertarians-nominate-candidates-for-2026/ (opened; 2026-10-05; published 2026-02-23 UTC)
https://www.jeffwadlin.com/in-the-news/jeff-wadlin-kicks-off-statewide-campaign-tour-across-arkansas, https://www.jeffwadlin.com/in-the-news/arkansas-us-senate-candidate-jeff-wadlin-launches-introductory-campaign-ad-arkansas-versus-dc, https://www.jeffwadlin.com/in-the-news/rgt4p58qm0ttaqu839of3w801ix7t8 and https://www.jeffwadlin.com/in-the-news/candidate-jeff-wadlin-included-in-upcoming-us-senate-debates (each opened; 2026-10-05)
https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/09/23/libertarian-candidate-jeff-wadlin (could not open; 2026-10-05)
https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/politics/bentonville-businessman-announces-libertarian-nomination-for-arkansas-us-senate-election/527-c7898b31-7938-4b78-aeb0-c9d1caca863d (could not open; 2026-10-05)
This is a record of what was checked on 2026-10-05, not a claim that no other statement exists.
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.
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