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

Mike McGuire

Democrat · U.S. House, California District 1
?
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.

Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In September 2025 floor remarks supporting a state resolution on Gaza he says the aim is "to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region", 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.

McGuire has no public position on U.S. military aid to Israel or aid to Palestinians (source-checked research). Supporting a September 2025 state Senate resolution on Gaza, he said the Senate "should be on the record to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region."

✉  Email the campaignWebsite ↗

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

We found no statement from Mike McGuire on U.S. military aid or weapons to Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. McGuire is the California Senate President pro Tempore and the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in California's 1st district, per Ballotpedia.

On September 12, 2025 he spoke on the Senate floor for SCR 105, a resolution on human rights in Gaza: "This body should be on the record, should be on the record to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region."

On campus and community safety: in April 2024 he and Assemblymember Jim Wood issued a joint statement on the Cal Poly Humboldt building occupations, saying police intervention had become necessary for campus safety, condemning reported antisemitic hate speech on campus, and calling for healing. In August 2025 he joined state officials and Legislative Jewish Caucus leaders in a statement against federal threats to withhold UCLA research funding, and he supported AB 715, the state school antisemitism bill.

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 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.

In their words

“This body should be on the record, should be on the record to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region.”
Source ↗, 2025-09-12

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

  • No statement or documented position found. [Nothing found]

Characterization of the conflict

  • 2024-04-30 [Current position; joint statement with Assemblymember Jim Wood]: On the Cal Poly Humboldt occupation, said police intervention had become necessary for campus safety and emphasized the need for healing. Lost Coast Outpost press release; protest context also in People's World (2024-05-08).
  • 2025-09-12 [Current position; verified]: Senate floor, supporting SCR 105 on human rights in Gaza: "This body should be on the record, should be on the record to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region." Digital Democracy hearing transcript (multi-speaker transcript; attribution to McGuire confirmed by verification).

Rhetoric and lobbying

  • No statement or documented activity found. [Nothing found]

Safety and antisemitism (context, not a weapons or funding position)

  • 2024-04-30 [Current position; joint statement]: The McGuire-Wood statement condemned reported antisemitic hate speech at Cal Poly Humboldt. Lost Coast Outpost.
  • 2025-06-02 [Current position; source did not open]: An initial search quotes a statement on antisemitic attacks ("assaults on Jews for their connection to the only Jewish state is antisemitism. Full stop..."). Only source is a Facebook post that would not open; no usable link, not verified, not used on the card.
  • 2025-08-08 [Current position; multi-signer statement]: Joined Governor Newsom, state executive officers, and Legislative Jewish Caucus leadership in a statement condemning DOJ threats to withhold UCLA research funding over campus protest responses. Governor's office.
  • September 2025 [Current position; first search's range "September 2025 - mid-2026" comes from the text itself; anchored to Times of Israel published 2025-09-04]: As Senate leader, supported AB 715, establishing antisemitism prevention and reporting mechanisms in public schools. Times of Israel; opposing-view coverage of passage at CODEPINK (undated).
  • Undated [attribution suspect]: The quote "Antisemitism must never be normalized, and we must put a stop to it in our schools" is credited to a joint legislative statement, but the only source is a Jewish Insider tag page that does not name McGuire. Multi-signer statement plus listing-page source; not verified, not used.

Sources consulted (identity)

Also in this race

  1. ✗ James Gallagher (Republican)

All California 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.