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

James Russell III

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.

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Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: On his campaign site in August 2026 he writes "I refuse to accept funds from AIPAC", 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.

Russell’s platform states: "I refuse to accept funds from AIPAC." Announcing a 2025 campaign, he listed among his values, as reported, opposing Israel’s mass killings of civilians in occupied Palestinian territory. Nothing located has him addressing U.S. weapons transfers or aid to Palestinians as funding questions.

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Your record on weapons and funding for the government of Israel [ref: ar4-russell]

Dear James Russell III,

I plan to vote in the November elections, but before I vote for you, I want to be sure I understand your plan going forward when it comes to weapons and funding for the government of Israel, because your record is mixed.

Will you commit, if elected, to voting against further transfers of weapons and funding to the government of Israel, or to supporting enforceable conditions on that support?

Your record points in different directions, so I'm asking for clarity: where do you stand now, and what will you do?

I may share your answer publicly so other voters can see it.

Respectfully,
[Your name]

Deep Dive

Russell is the Democratic nominee in Arkansas’s 4th District, a mental-health business owner and veteran who ran in the 2022 Democratic primary for governor.

His own platform page carries his money position under a "Citizens Against AIPAC" heading: "I refuse to accept funds from AIPAC." His conflict position is reported rather than quoted: announcing a campaign at the state Capitol in August 2025, he said his values include standing up for human rights, which the reporting rendered as "supporting women’s reproductive autonomy and opposing Israel’s mass killings of civilians in occupied Palestinian territory", the outlet’s summary of his words, carried here as that. That announcement was for a U.S. Senate run against Senator Cotton; he now holds the 4th District House nomination, and the research page carries the switch.

Asked in a candidate survey whether the United States’ relationship with Israel is important, he left the question unanswered, along with the neighboring foreign-policy questions.

Nothing located has him addressing U.S. military aid, weapons transfers, or humanitarian aid as funding questions. Ask Russell directly, or at a forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words.

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.

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 as a funding or transfers position.
[Non-answer, survey] His candidate survey shows "Did not answer" against the Israel-relationship question and the adjacent foreign-policy items. Verified against the live page. A documented non-answer, recorded as that.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

Nothing located as a funding question.

Characterization of the conflict

[Position, 2025-08-27, reported] His campaign-announcement values, per UA Little Rock Public Radio: the outlet writes, without quotation marks, that his values include "opposing Israel’s mass killings of civilians in occupied Palestinian territory". The research presented this as his verbatim quote; the page shows it is the reporter’s rendering, and the card attributes it as reported speech. Verified against the page.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

[Position, read 2026-08-21] His platform under the "Citizens Against AIPAC" heading: "I refuse to accept funds from AIPAC." His own site, verified word for word; a live page, recorded on the date we read it. This one names the organization, so it is carried as what it is: a pledge against one lobby’s money.
No tracked funding badge appears because no committee support is recorded for him.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

His civil-rights platform language on protecting people from hate is general; nothing located addresses antisemitism specifically.

Race and status context

The August 2025 announcement covered by public radio was for the U.S. Senate race against Senator Cotton; his FEC id and our records list him as the 4th District House nominee for 2026. The reported values statement is his regardless of which race he was announcing, and it is dated.
Democratic nominee facing the sitting member, whose card carries its own record. He has held no federal office, so there are no recorded votes on this card.

Also in this race

✗ Bruce Westerman (Republican)

All Arkansas candidates.