But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Aisha Wahab
Democrat · U.S. House, California District 14
✓Opposes
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: Asked directly whether she supports U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons for Israel, she said no, and she has called it a genocide. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
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As a state senator, Wahab introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 105, "Human Rights: Gaza," on September 9, 2025; the California Senate passed it on September 12, the first state legislative body to pass such a resolution. Introducing it she said "the crisis in Gaza is one of the great moral tests of our time" and that "we have a duty to stand for humanity, to speak for the vulnerable, and to oppose indiscriminate violence." At the April 7, 2026 Indivisible Tri-Valley candidate forum she answered yes to whether Israel's actions in Gaza constitute genocide.
On U.S. weapons, she was asked on CNN's "The Story Is" on August 20, 2026 whether she supports "U.S. taxpayer funding [for] weapons for Israel". She answered: "No, I don’t support weapons going out of this country. I think that there’s a time and place for war, but just needless war is unnecessary, and I’ve been very clear about that." Later in the same interview she said: "And I have called it a genocide, but I also want to be very clear, human rights is not a zero-sum game." An earlier August 2026 statement attributed to her on arms transfers could not be opened, and it stays on the research page.
In an August 7, 2026 statement to Jewish Insider she said she has "stood against antisemitism, supported the safety and security of Jewish communities" and "defended Israel's right to exist," while asserting the right to question any foreign government's policies. Her campaign website has criticized opponent Melissa Hernandez over support from AIPAC-linked PACs; that is a statement about campaign money, not a weapons or aid position.
The money
Targeted with $1.6M by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (2026); no direct 2026 support from them
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.
Money spent against them
Independent expenditures opposing this candidate: advertising and other spending made to defeat them, without the candidate's involvement or consent. United Democracy Project reported 5 independent expenditures opposing this candidate, 2026-08-04 to 2026-08-11, totalling $1.6M. This counts only the five lobbying groups we track, so it is a floor on what was spent against this candidate, not a total. Each expenditure is counted because the committee itself named this candidate as the target on its FEC filing. These lobbying groups often spend along party lines, or to protect an incumbent they back, so this is not by itself a reading of the candidate's position.
In their words
“Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve safety, dignity, and the chance at a peaceful future”
“No, I don’t support weapons going out of this country. I think that there’s a time and place for war, but just needless war is unnecessary, and I’ve been very clear about that.”
2026-08-20 [Position]: On CNN's "The Story Is", host Elex Michaelson asked: "Should AIPAC be afraid of you in Congress? And do you support U.S. taxpayer funding [for] weapons for Israel?" Wahab: "No, I don’t support weapons going out of this country. I think that there’s a time and place for war, but just needless war is unnecessary, and I’ve been very clear about that." She went on to speak about human rights, foster youth, children in ICE detention and "the kids abroad". Transcript published by Breitbart News on 2026-08-21, which dates the broadcast to the Thursday before, 2026-08-20.
2026-08-06 [Current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, cannot be used on the card]: Statement attributed to Wahab criticizing continued U.S. arms transfers to the government of Israel: "my colleagues are still voting to support Israel's atrocities against the Palestinian people, even though the majority of Americans want to stop sending U.S. weapons to Israel." Only source found is a GVWire Facebook post (would not open, unlinked per source rule). A same-day Guardian article on AIPAC super-PAC spending in California (theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/06/aipac-super-pacs-spend-millions-california, opened at an initial search) may carry the statement; the later check could not open it, so this stays pending verification.
Characterization of the conflict
Late 2023 [Reaction window; undated beyond "late 2023", the date comes from the text itself]: Joined the California Legislative Jewish Caucus in a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken calling for an end to the conflict and prioritizing humanitarian assistance. Sourced from her Senate office release of 2025-09-09.
2025-09-09 [Current position; verified]: Introduced SCR 105, "Human Rights: Gaza," in the California Senate. Said: "The crisis in Gaza is one of the great moral tests of our time"; "we have a duty to stand for humanity, to speak for the vulnerable, and to oppose indiscriminate violence"; "Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve safety, dignity, and the chance at a peaceful future." Senate release.
2025-09-12 [Current position; release 2025-09-13]: SCR 105 passed the California Senate, per her office the first and only state legislative body in the nation to pass such a resolution. Floor remarks: the resolution "affirms the humanity of every victim," "condemns terrorism," "condemns collective punishment," calls for accountability under international law, civilian protection, and release of hostages. Senate release (floor-remark fragments not separately verified).
2026-04-07 [Current position; verified]: Answered "Yes" at the Indivisible Tri-Valley candidate forum when asked whether Israel's actions toward Palestinians in Gaza are a genocide. J. Weekly (2026-04-17).
2026-08-20 [Position]: In the same CNN interview, asked about her calling Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide: "Two things can be true. As I stated, Israel can be an ally to the United States, but, at the same time, we should have the right, as American citizens, to criticize any foreign nation and their direction." And: "And I have called it a genocide, but I also want to be very clear, human rights is not a zero-sum game. You can support the Palestinian people and their right to exist, as well as supporting the Israeli people and their right to exist." Breitbart News transcript.
Rhetoric and lobbying
2026-08-06 [Current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN, cannot be used on the card]: Statement attributed to Wahab calling AIPAC "the biggest source of Republican money into Democratic elections" and saying it spends to "take down members of Congress who represent working-class people." Only source is the same GVWire Facebook post (would not open, unlinked).
August 2026 [Current position; article 2026-08-07]: Wahab's campaign website criticized opponent Melissa Hernandez as relying on "AIPAC-linked dark-money PACs" and noted Hernandez declined to call the situation in Gaza a genocide at candidate debates. A campaign-money criticism, not a weapons or aid position. Jewish Insider.
A localcandidates.org positions page returned would not open (no claim rested on it).
Safety and antisemitism (context, not a weapons or funding position)
2026-08-07 [Current position; pending verification]: Statement to Jewish Insider: "My record speaks for itself: I have consistently stood against antisemitism, supported the safety and security of Jewish communities, worked in partnership with Jewish colleagues, and defended Israel's right to exist — while also maintaining that as an American elected official, I have both the right and the responsibility to question the policies of any foreign government and to speak out when innocent civilians are suffering." Jewish Insider.
Undated [campaign platform]: Platform lists enforcing laws against hate speech, bigotry, and discrimination, citing antisemitism alongside Islamophobia, Asian hate, and racism, plus broader public-safety tools. Source: campaign platform via localcandidates.org (would not open, unlinked).
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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