But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
George Whitesides
- Backed with $1K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
- Sits on House Armed Services
Whitesides has not stated a position on U.S. weapons or money to Israel's government. His June 2025 statement "we must stand with our ally Israel" against Iran was circulated by AIPAC as a model. In July 2026 he co-signed a letter to Netanyahu expressing concern over West Bank settler violence.
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You asked George Whitesides where they stand.
Deep Dive
No item found shows Whitesides taking a position on U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. On June 18, 2025 he released a statement: "The government of Iran, which has sown death and destruction across the Middle East for decades, cannot be allowed to develop an operational nuclear weapon, and we must stand with our ally Israel." The American Prospect reported that AIPAC held the statement up, with two others, as a model for frontline Democrats.
On July 31, 2026 he was one of 103 members who signed a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on West Bank settler violence, which warned that "continuing down the path of settler extremism will further degrade Israel's international standing and relationship with the United States" and called for protecting Palestinian civilians.
Before his election, in a September 22, 2024 Joint Action Committee profile, he supported U.S.-Israel strategic relations and joint technology cooperation. Democratic Majority for Israel endorsed him on September 13, 2024, and the Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsed him on October 21, 2024 and again for 2026 on July 29, 2025. On October 8, 2024 he spoke at an October 7 remembrance in Santa Clarita.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 2 tracked votes
House Committee on Armed Services
• Vote record imported from official House Clerk roll calls for H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, and H.R. 8369. Other position fields remain under investigation.
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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Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 2 of 2 tracked votes.)
The money
$1K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement)
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 direct statement on U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel or on aid to Palestinians was found. [Absence claim]
- 2025-06-18 [Current position]: Statement during the Israel-Iran escalation: "The government of Iran, which has sown death and destruction across the Middle East for decades, cannot be allowed to develop an operational nuclear weapon, and we must stand with our ally Israel." Verified against The American Prospect. Alliance rhetoric, not a weapons or money position.
- 2024-09-22 [Current position]: In a JAC profile, supported strong U.S.-Israel bilateral strategic relations and joint technology cooperation (aerospace, wildfire management).
Characterization of the conflict
- 2024-10-08 [Current position]: Attended an October 7 anniversary remembrance in Santa Clarita; spoke of "solidarity against anti-Semitism" and "our commitment to bringing home the hostages." Campaign Facebook post (opened; quotes not independently verified).
- 2025-06-18 [Current position]: Characterized the Iranian government as the primary agent of regional instability. The American Prospect.
- 2026-07-31 [Current position]: Co-signed the 103-member letter to Netanyahu on West Bank settler violence: "continuing down the path of settler extremism will further degrade Israel's international standing and relationship with the United States"; calls to protect Palestinian civilians and children's access to education. Signature verified directly in the letter PDF.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2024-09-22 [Current position]: JAC profile statement that "innovation and diplomacy can strengthen bilateral relations and create a more peaceful, prosperous future for both countries and the world." JAC.
- 2024-09-13 [Current position]: Endorsed by Democratic Majority for Israel. DMFI post.
- 2024-10-21 [Current position]: Endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America; re-endorsed for 2026 on 2025-07-29. JDCA 2024 release.
- 2025-06-18 [Current position]: AIPAC circulated his Iran statement as a model message for frontline Democrats. The American Prospect.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not a weapons or funding position)
- 2024-10-08 [Current position]: Spoke alongside rabbis in Santa Clarita committing to "solidarity against anti-Semitism." Campaign post.
- 2026-03-13 [Current position]: Co-signed a bipartisan request to House Appropriations leadership for strong Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding to protect synagogues and community facilities and support antisemitism and Holocaust education. Letter PDF (his signature on this letter not independently verified; the search notes does not name him on the PDF).
Note: identity sources Wikipedia and Ballotpedia confirm this is George T. Whitesides, not his father George M. Whitesides.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Jason Gibbs (Republican)
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