John W. Hickenlooper

Democrat · U.S. Senate, Colorado

Hickenlooper voted against blocking U.S. arms sales to the government of Israel through 2024 and 2025, then in 2026 voted to block one. On Gaza he said "we must get food, water, and medical supplies to the civilians who desperately need them" (research).

Hickenlooper is Colorado's junior senator, seeking a second term. His record on this question has changed, and the change is the part worth reading.

For two years he declined to block particular weapons sales. Every resolution of disapproval that reached the Senate floor between November 2024 and July 2025 he voted against discharging, which meant letting the sale proceed. Those sales can be named. In November 2024 they were 120-millimetre tank rounds, high-explosive mortar rounds and JDAM bomb guidance kits, at a reported death toll of 43,985. In April 2025 they were roughly $8.8 billion of bombs and guidance kits, $2.04 billion of it 2,000-pound bombs, at a reported 50,523 killed, 17,954 of them children. In July 2025 they were 1,000-pound bombs with JDAM kits and a sale of automatic rifles, at a reported 60,138 killed. In April 2026 he voted the other way, on a resolution to block a proposed foreign military sale to the government of Israel and on a second resolution the same day; the two covered $295 million of armoured bulldozers and $151.8 million of 1,000-pound bombs, and the reported toll had reached 72,344 killed, 20,179 of them children. Both motions still failed. That is a reversal, and the votes on this card show it in both directions. Nothing he has said explains the change.

On the other half of the question he has been consistent and loud. In May 2025 he joined twenty-seven senators calling on the administration to end the blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza, saying in his own name: "The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire. To prevent even more harm and save countless lives, we must get food, water, and medical supplies to the civilians who desperately need them." His office lists a longer trail behind that: fuel for hospitals and water treatment plants, and American funding to meet a $294 million United Nations emergency appeal. Two months later he joined forty-three Democrats demanding the State Department press for a large expansion of humanitarian aid.

So the two halves of his record point in different directions, and he has said why on only one of them. He supports security assistance to the government of Israel while pressing hard for more American-backed aid to Palestinians. His fullest explanation of why he would not cut weapons off is dated and set out on his research page.

Tracked votes: backed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 8 of 10 recorded votes.

Research

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

U.S. aid to Palestinians

Characterization of the conflict

Related rhetoric and lobbying

Safety and antisemitism (context)

Race and status context

Also in this race: Mark Baisley (Republican), Robert Chew (Other), Clinton Roosevelt Dale (Independent), Joshua William Kuebler (Independent), Adam Withrow (Other), Matthew Wood (Independent) · All Colorado candidates.

See the full record →

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 the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.