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

Stephanie Vargas

Republican · U.S. House, California District 33
?
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: Answering a June 2026 voter-guide question, she says "The United States' relationship with Israel is vital" and calls Israel "a reliable ally that shares our democratic values", without saying where she 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.

Has taken no public position on U.S. military aid to Israel or U.S. aid to Palestinians. In an iVoterGuide questionnaire for the June 2026 primary she called Israel "a reliable ally that shares our democratic values" and said she supports "its right to exist in peace."

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

Stephanie Vargas, Chief Deputy City Clerk for Colton, is the Republican nominee in CA-33, per Ballotpedia and her campaign site. We found no statement or action from her on U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel, and none on U.S. aid to Palestinians.

Her only in-scope material is an iVoterGuide candidate questionnaire for the June 2, 2026 primary. There she wrote: "The United States' relationship with Israel is vital. Israel is a reliable ally that shares our democratic values, and our partnership strengthens regional security through intelligence and strategic cooperation." She added: "As a Christian, I also value Israel's biblical significance and support its right to exist in peace." These are statements about the alliance; they do not state a position on aid or weapons in either direction.

In the same questionnaire she said the United States must "remain vigilant and take prudent, decisive measures to ensure that Islamic terrorists never gain the ability to harm our country." That answer addresses U.S. national security generally, not the Israel/Palestine conflict.

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

“The United States' relationship with Israel is vital. Israel is a reliable ally that shares our democratic values, and our partnership strengthens regional security through intelligence and strategic cooperation.”
Source ↗, 2026-06-02

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

Searched 2026-08-10 for: "Stephanie M. Vargas" Israel/Gaza/Palestine/antisemitism; Stephanie Vargas CA 33 2026). Identity: Republican nominee, CA-33, Chief Deputy City Clerk of Colton; advanced from the June 2, 2026 primary (Ballotpedia, thecandidate.com 2026-04-18, campaign site).

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • Nothing found. [Nothing found]

Characterization of the conflict

  • iVoterGuide questionnaire for the June 2, 2026 primary [current position; questionnaire has no publication date of its own, dated to the primary it preceded]: "The United States' relationship with Israel is vital. Israel is a reliable ally that shares our democratic values, and our partnership strengthens regional security through intelligence and strategic cooperation. In a region with hostile extremist threats, this alliance protects American interests. As a Christian, I also value Israel's biblical significance and support its right to exist in peace." Verified verbatim 2026-08-10.
  • Same questionnaire [current position]: strongly agreed that "Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security"; wrote the U.S. must "remain vigilant and take prudent, decisive measures to ensure that Islamic terrorists never gain the ability to harm our country." General national-security answer, not an Israel/Palestine aid position; kept out of the card summary.

Rhetoric and lobbying

  • No lobbying-related statements or actions found. Her Israel rhetoric is limited to the questionnaire answers above. [Empty beyond the questionnaire]

Safety and antisemitism

  • Nothing found. [Nothing found]

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Pete Aguilar (Democrat)

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.