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

Amy Chai

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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.

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.

No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

Chai, a physician, is the Republican nominee in Connecticut’s 1st District. No positions were located on aid to Israel, aid to Palestinians, or the conflict; her 2022 questionnaire left the boycott-movement prompt unanswered, and her one antisemitism-related statement is a forum post under her name, not confirmed as hers.

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Your record on weapons and funding for the government of Israel [ref: ct1-chai]

Dear Amy Chai,

You're asking for my vote, and there is one question I can't find your answer to: should the United States keep sending weapons and funding to the government of Israel?

Your campaign hasn't said where you stand, and for many voters in this race it decides the vote. A short answer would help: will you vote against further weapons and funding for the government of Israel, or for enforceable conditions on that support?

I may share your answer publicly so other voters can see it.

Respectfully,
[Your name]

Deep Dive

Chai is the Republican nominee in Connecticut’s 1st District.

No statement on any tracked topic was located: her 2022 questionnaire from a prior run left the boycott-movement prompt unanswered, and nothing from the 2026 campaign was found. The research reports an August 2025 online post in which she described confronting antisemitic harassers directly rather than noting she is not Jewish, writing that such a defense "makes me guilty as well". The only carrier is a personal forum post under her name and profession, read by a volunteer on September 2, 2026: the words are as described, and the author says she is not Jewish and answers harassers directly. Whether the author is the candidate is probable, not confirmed, so the item stays out of the card summary and is recorded on the research page.

An otherwise empty record carries no implication either way. Ask Chai directly and send us the reply: it goes on this page in her own words.

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 2026-09-27) 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 located at any date.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

Nothing located at any date.

Characterization of the conflict

Nothing located at any date.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

Nothing located; the 2022 boycott prompt shows no answer; no tracked committee support.

Safety and antisemitism

[Reported, 2025-08-19, read by a volunteer 2026-09-02] The harassment-response post on a personal forum, under the name and profession of a physician named Amy Chai: the author says she is not Jewish, gets antisemitic harassment online because of her surname, and answers it directly rather than by saying so. Authorship by the candidate is probable, not confirmed; a low-stakes item, not on the card summary.

Sources retrieved for this card

Pages our search retrieved on 2026-08-21 (HTTP 200, naming the candidate) and read for this card; each is listed once, and those already cited above are not repeated.

Race and status context

Republican nominee against Luke Bronin, whose card carries its own record. Ballotpedia confirms the nomination.

Also in this race

? Luke Bronin (Democrat)
– Mary L. Sanders (Green)

All Connecticut candidates.