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

Joe Males

Republican · U.S. House, California District 25
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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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No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

Has not spoken publicly on U.S. military aid to Israel or aid to Palestinians; no in-scope statements were found in source-checked research. A 2025 fundraising message is reported to reference the attacks on Israel, and its only source would not open.

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Deep Dive

Males, a Marine Corps veteran and former Hemet city councilmember running in CA-25, has no recorded statements on U.S. military aid or weapons sales to the government of Israel, and none on U.S. aid to Palestinians. An initial search checked his campaign site, his BallotReady profile, and his Hemet city page.

A 2025 campaign fundraising message is reported to have called Hamas's assault "terrorist attacks on Israel" and to have cited them, alongside Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as evidence of a weakened U.S. military posture. The only source for that message is a WinRed donation page that would not open, so the item is held on the research page unlinked. No statements on antisemitism were found; his public-safety platform centers on crime, motivated by the loss of his son.

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.

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 found. No statements on U.S. military aid packages or weapons sales to the government of Israel, and none on U.S. aid to Palestinians. Sources consulted: joemalesforca.com (2025-03-31), BallotReady (2026-06-02), Hemet city page.

Characterization of the conflict

  • 2025 [Current position; year-only date taken from the text itself; source did not open, WinRed]: Campaign fundraising message reportedly called Hamas's assault "terrorist attacks on Israel" and attributed global instability to a "weakened military presence" under current leadership. Unlinked; not used on the card.

Rhetoric and lobbying

  • 2025 [Current position; same WinRed source, which would not open]: The same fundraising message reportedly grouped the attacks on Israel with Russia's invasion of Ukraine to argue for U.S. military readiness. No statements or actions on pro-Israel lobbying organizations or Israel-related legislation found. Unlinked.

Safety and antisemitism

  • Nothing found on antisemitism. His platform's safety themes concern crime reduction, motivated by the loss of his son to violent crime. Campaign site; prediction market profile consulted for background.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Raul Ruiz (Democrat)

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.