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

Erik Underwood

Other · Governor, Colorado
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Underwood's platform says he supports Colorado families sponsoring Palestinian families "fleeing the ongoing genocide in Gaza", and promises an executive order on Palestinian refugee sponsorship in his first fortnight. He also wants the American Israel Public Affairs Committee made to register as a foreign agent.

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Deep Dive

Underwood is the Approval Voting Party's nominee for governor of Colorado.

Under the heading "Supporting Palestinian Families", his justice and human rights page says: "I support Colorado families who want to sponsor Palestinian families fleeing the ongoing genocide in Gaza. I believe in human rights and civil rights for all, and as Governor, I will condemn the atrocities happening in Gaza." His implementation timeline turns that into a dated commitment: in the first fortnight of a term he would "Issue executive order supporting Palestinian refugee sponsorship", alongside orders on private prisons and immigration enforcement.

The second half of his platform on this subject is about money in American politics. Plank 14, "AIPAC Policy", opens: "AIPAC must be stopped. I have the courage to stand up to them and foreign money interest." A dedicated page makes the argument: "No Foreign Government Should Own an American Election. The Foreign Agents Registration Act has been the law since 1938. It is time to enforce it -- starting with AIPAC." What he wants is registration and disclosure. He attributes to the committee and its affiliated super political action committee nearly $127 million across 389 congressional races in one cycle, and more than $15 million against a Kentucky congressman who introduced a registration bill; those figures are his, recorded as his claims.

Two limits are worth stating. He says nothing about U.S. weapons or U.S. military money for the government of Israel, and a reader should not read the lobbying plank as a substitute. And neither commitment is fully within the office: registration under that Act is enforced by the federal Justice Department, and refugee sponsorship is a federal programme a governor can support but not create.

The record

Notable actions

• His campaign platform carries a numbered plank, "AIPAC Policy", and a dedicated policy page arguing the Foreign Agents Registration Act should be enforced against AIPAC so its spending and its relationship with the Israeli government must be publicly disclosed. It is a position about lobbying transparency; the page does not address U.S. weapons transfers or aid appropriations. Undated campaign page, read on this date, so current-position in time.

• On the same page he attributes to AIPAC and its affiliated super PAC nearly $127 million of spending across 389 congressional races in the 2024 cycle, and more than $15 million in 2026 against Rep. Thomas Massie following Massie's FARA registration bill. These figures are his campaign's and are recorded here as his claims, not as findings of ours.

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: His own platform calls what is happening in Gaza "the ongoing genocide", and nothing in his words says the weapons should keep flowing. Reviewed by hand on 2026-09-28. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.

In their words

“No Foreign Government Should Own an American Election. The Foreign Agents Registration Act has been the law since 1938. It is time to enforce it — starting with AIPAC.”
Source ↗, 2026-08-02
“I support Colorado families who want to sponsor Palestinian families fleeing the ongoing genocide in Gaza. I believe in human rights and civil rights for all, and as Governor, I will condemn the atrocities happening in Gaza.”
Source ↗, 2026-08-18

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 located. His platform pages on this subject are about refugee sponsorship and lobbying disclosure, and neither mentions arms transfers or aid appropriations.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Position, read 2026-08-18] His justice and human rights page, under "SUPPORTING PALESTINIAN FAMILIES: HUMAN RIGHTS LEADERSHIP": "I support Colorado families who want to sponsor Palestinian families fleeing the ongoing genocide in Gaza. I believe in human rights and civil rights for all, and as Governor, I will condemn the atrocities happening in Gaza." And: "Human suffering knows no borders. Colorado has always been a place of refuge for those seeking safety and opportunity. That tradition continues under my administration." Opened and confirmed word for word. This is refugee sponsorship, which is a different thing from United States aid money, and it is described as what it is.
  • [Position, read 2026-08-18] His implementation timeline lists, among the executive actions of a first fortnight: "Issue executive order supporting Palestinian refugee sponsorship". Confirmed word for word.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, read 2026-08-18] The same human rights page calls what is happening in Gaza "the ongoing genocide" and refers to "the atrocities happening in Gaza". Those are his words on his own site.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, read 2026-08-18] Plank 14 of his campaign issues list, "AIPAC Policy": "AIPAC must be stopped. I have the courage to stand up to them and foreign money interest."
  • [Position, read 2026-08-18] His dedicated policy page: "No Foreign Government Should Own an American Election. The Foreign Agents Registration Act has been the law since 1938. It is time to enforce it -- starting with AIPAC." The page argues for enforcement so that spending and the relationship with the Israeli government are publicly disclosed.
  • [Position, read 2026-08-18, his figures] On the same page he attributes to the committee and its affiliated super political action committee nearly $127 million across 389 congressional races in 2024, and more than $15 million in 2026 against Rep. Thomas Massie after Massie introduced a registration bill. Recorded as his claims; not checked by us and not repeated as fact.
  • [Reported, 2026, unread] A campaign video on his YouTube channel is titled against the Iran war and against political money from the same committee. The channel page returns no transcript, so nothing is quoted from it. A June 2026 social comment attributed to him sits on a Facebook page that does not answer us and is likewise unused.
  • Note on dates: his platform pages carry site timestamps from 2024 but are the live 2026 platform. They are banded to the day they were read, which is the convention for a live platform page.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Race and status context

  • Nominee of the Approval Voting Party in the Colorado governor's race, per Ballotpedia, his profile, and the Colorado Secretary of State's candidate record. He has run before under other party labels, which Colorado Politics covered.
  • Office scope: the Foreign Agents Registration Act is enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice, and refugee sponsorship is a federal programme. A governor has no vote on aid or arms.
  • He has held no federal office, so there are no recorded votes on this card.

Also in this race

  1. ? Phil Weiser (Democrat)
  2. – Victor Marx (Republican)
  3. – Eric Mulder (Libertarian)
  4. ? Greg Lopez (Other)
  5. ? Jeff Peckman (Other)
  6. – Stephen Hamilton (Other)

All Colorado 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.