But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Eli Crane
Crane's tracked votes on U.S. aid to the government of Israel point both ways: for the November 2023 aid bill paired with spending cuts and the bill forcing weapons deliveries, against the 2024 packages without offsets. On the April 2024 rule he commented: "Put America first. Kill the rule."
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Deep Dive
Crane represents Arizona's 2nd District, most of the state's rural north and east, and he is the sitting member.
He voted for the November 2023 package that paired aid to the government of Israel with spending cuts elsewhere, and for the bill written to force weapons deliveries, and against the February and April 2024 packages that came without offsets. When the House considered the rule allowing the April 2024 foreign aid votes to proceed, he answered a colleague's post about it with "Put America first. Kill the rule." His own explanation of the 2023 vote was published in the weeks after the October 2023 attack and is on the research page.
In June 2024 he co-sponsored the GAZA Act, a proposed two-year moratorium on Palestinian immigration to the United States, and his office argued that accepting migrants from Gaza posed homeland security threats. That is an immigration position rather than an aid position, and this card records it as context rather than as an answer to what the United States sends.
His chief of staff previously managed the defense portfolio at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying group that works for strong U.S. support for the government of Israel. In April 2024 Crane was one of fifteen Republican members on a delegation organized by AIPAC that met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Nothing located has him addressing U.S. humanitarian aid for Palestinians as a question of its own.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 6 tracked votes
• Co-sponsored the GAZA Act (June 2024), a proposed two-year halt to immigration from the Palestinian territories.
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.
Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
In their words
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
- His recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card and point both ways; the grounding for each sits in the record section. The pattern is offsets: Yes on the offset November 2023 bill and the forced-delivery bill, No on the unoffset February and April 2024 packages.
- [Position, 2024-04-19] News coverage reproduced on Representative Scott Perry's House site, read in full on 2026-08-21 and again on 2026-09-26: Freedom Caucus members urged colleagues to vote against the rule for the foreign-aid package votes, and "Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), in response to Perry's post, commented, 'Put America first. Kill the rule.'" The page reproduces a news report that names him and quotes him directly. A PBS NewsHour report on the same episode could not be opened.
- [Reaction window, 2023-11-02] His own release on the November 2023 vote: "The Jewish State has been a valuable partner of the U.S. since its miraculous founding in 1948 and our mutually beneficial relationship has made both nations safer and more prosperous", and describing aid offset by domestic cuts as "reciprocal of our shared interests—not a furtherance of another forever war". Not on the card summary; this is his explanation of the badge and it lives here.
- [Position, 2026-07-15, videos not watched] He is reported to have offered a House floor amendment to State Department funding legislation to review and limit un-audited foreign military training subsidies. The sources are a Facebook video post attributed to him (source could not be opened) and a YouTube page from Forbes Breaking News, published 2026-07-22 and titled "'No Line Item Is Too Small To Review': Eli Crane Demands End To Funding Foreign Military Expenses", whose description says he offered an amendment to the FY27 NDAA. The video was not watched, so the amendment's subject and the bill it was offered to are unconfirmed and recorded here rather than on the card. Not Israel-specific in any case.
- [Prior, 2023-06-06] Joint letter with Representative Rob Menendez urging Homeland Security funding for joint U.S.-Israel cybersecurity initiatives, calling Israel a "renowned leader in cybersecurity" (source could not be opened). Prior band.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located addressing U.S. humanitarian funding for Palestinians, the aid pipeline, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
- [Position, 2024-06-05, context not aid] The GAZA Act co-sponsorship, a proposed two-year moratorium on Palestinian immigration, with his office's argument that accepting migrants from Gaza posed security threats. An immigration measure, recorded as context under the widened collection scope and never written as an aid position.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Reaction window, 2023-10/11] His releases characterized the October 7 violence as "an onslaught of genocidal attacks from Iranian-backed terrorists", said "Israel is defending herself against vicious animals who aim to carry out a genocide against Jews", and described Israel as fighting "the same forces of darkness that have fueled countless Islamic terror attacks against Americans". Not on the card summary; listed here.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-07] His October 7, 2023 statement, "Crane: America Must Stand With Israel", as carried by LegiStorm: "The sadistic animals who carried out these attacks share no moral equivalence with Israel. There is no rational justification. America must stand with Israel." Not on the card summary; listed here.
- [Position, 2024-06-07] His office's June 7, 2024 newsletter explains his vote for H.R. 8282, a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials: "By voting in favor of this legislation, the Congressman stands firmly with our ally, Israel". It calls the court's actions against Israel "illegitimate and baseless". A characterization, not a position on U.S. weapons or money.
- [Position, 2026-03-04, source could not be opened] He is reported to have cautioned against U.S.-Israeli efforts at forced regime change in Iran, warning they could backfire. The only source is a newspaper's Facebook photo post (source could not be opened); the underlying article was not located. Iran is a different question from what the United States sends and is recorded here.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2023-02-16] His senior staff announcement notes his chief of staff previously served as a regional political director and assistant director of policy and government affairs for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, "managing AIPAC’s defense portfolio".
- [Prior, 2023-07-18] Via House leadership communications, he criticized Representative Pramila Jayapal's "racist state" characterization, saying "Any threat to Israel is a threat to the United States". Prior band.
- [Position, 2024-04-04] One of fifteen Republican members of a congressional delegation that met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister's Office release, as mirrored by GlobalSecurity.org, says Netanyahu "met with a Republican US Congressional delegation, which was organized by AIPAC", and lists "US Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ)" among the American participants. The release does not mention the American Israel Education Foundation. The Israeli government's own page for the meeting, https://www.gov.il/en/pages/pm-netanyahu-meets-with-republican-us-congressional-delegation-4-apr-2024, could not be opened.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2023-07-18] Supported House Resolution 57 expressing support for Israel and condemning antisemitism, per the leadership communication above.
- [Reaction window, 2023-12-08 and 2023-12-13] Introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Ivy League Schools Act after the university-presidents hearing, his release condemning "despicably inadequate responses to calls for violence against Jewish students", with further quotes in the Arizona Daily Independent (neither source could be opened). Not on the card summary.
Race and status context
- Sitting representative, nominated, in one of this cycle's priority districts on this site's list. His Democratic opponent's card carries its own record.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Jonathan Nez (Democrat)
- –No Position Found Curtis Goodwin (Libertarian)
All Arizona candidates.
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