But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Ralph Groves
Libertarian · U.S. House, Florida District 11
?Mixed
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In a January 2025 letter on his campaign site he says Iran became assertive against Israel via "proxy groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, which continue to endanger Israel", without saying where he 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.
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He came closest to the question in an interview with Vox Populi, a Winter Garden news site, published on December 17, 2025. The reporter wrote that he said voters should weigh global conflicts such as the war in Gaza, or a possible war between China and Taiwan, because they could quickly become larger concerns for any community. In his own words: “The Libertarian Party is, generally, antiwar,” and “In any of these cases, the possibility, maybe not immediately, but down the road, [is] that we would get stuck [in] these conflicts.” He added that American sons and daughters could be called to fight overseas. The reference to Gaza is the reporter's summary; his quoted words name no country, and the article does not report him saying what the United States should send or withhold.
The one sentence of his own that describes the conflict is in a letter to the editor of the Orlando Sentinel, dated January 5, 2025, that his campaign site carries. Writing about what followed Iran's 1979 revolution, he said that “Iran became assertive against Israel via proxy groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, which continue to endanger Israel.” A note on the same page says he has visited Israel, lived in Iran and majored in Middle East studies.
Nothing located from him, at any date, says what the United States should send, fund or withhold for the government of Israel, or addresses U.S. aid to Palestinians or pro-Israel lobbying, and he has not filled in Ballotpedia's 2026 candidate survey. His 2020 paper on gun ownership, which cites armed Israeli civilians, and his letters and press releases on Iran and Ukraine are on his research page.
You are better placed to change this than we are. Ask Groves directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about him.
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.
In their words
“In any of these cases, the possibility, maybe not immediately, but down the road, [is] that we would get stuck [in] these conflicts.”
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
Our research for this card began with a search run on 2026-09-07, and every page below was opened and read on 2026-09-25. His whole campaign site was read, page by page: the home page, his biography, his mission, his position papers, his letters, his resolutions, his press releases, his gallery and his volunteer page. The Vox Populi interview was read in full, along with his Ballotpedia page, the Apopka Chief's report on the field, the iVoterGuide page for this race and the Florida Division of Elections candidate list. He has held no office, so there are no recorded votes on this record, and no tracked funding. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. Nothing located on this subject falls in the reaction window.
U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel
Nothing located, at any date. No statement by him about arms transfers or military aid to the government of Israel, a dollar figure, a condition on aid, or any bill on those subjects appears on his campaign site, in the Vox Populi interview, or in anything else of his that was read.
[Position; the page carries no date of its own and was read 2026-09-25] The nearest material names no country but Ukraine. His mission page: “Ralph Groves is your anti-war candidate. Generally, he follows the Libertarian Party’s principle that the U.S. should avoid involvement in foreign conflicts.” It continues that on Ukraine “he calls for an immediate cease-fire with mediated peace talks, and opposes deepening of U.S. support for Ukraine”, and, under the heading Pro-U.S. Defense Industries, that he “believes U.S. defense industries should be allocated increased funding to restock our military that provided much equipment to Ukraine.”
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] His biography page says that, based on his experience overseas, “he will tackle issues such as reducing U.S. military deployments overseas while promoting fiscal responsibility and government transparency”.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, at any date. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, humanitarian aid for Gaza and the aid pipeline appear nowhere in his published material or in the interview.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2025-01-05] His letters page carries a letter headed “Letter to Editor, Orlando Sentinel, about Carter's failure in Iran”, dated 5 January 2025, about the consequences of the 1979 revolution in Iran. One sentence concerns Israel: “Meanwhile, Iran became assertive against Israel via proxy groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, which continue to endanger Israel.” Whether the newspaper printed the letter was not checked; the words are on his own site.
[Position, 2025-12-17] Vox Populi's interview with him, by Dibya Sarkar, contributing editor. The reporter's summary: “While affordability, jobs and the economy may be front-burner issues, Groves said that voters should consider global conflicts, like Israel’s war in Gaza or even a potential war between China and Taiwan, because they could quickly become larger concerns for any community.” His quoted words follow, separated in the article by “he said”: “The Libertarian Party is, generally, antiwar,” and “In any of these cases, the possibility, maybe not immediately, but down the road, [is] that we would get stuck [in] these conflicts.” Then, in the reporter's words, he “added that American daughters and sons, including his future constituents, could be called to fight in a war overseas”, and in his: “Then, suddenly, it matters to you.” The phrase naming the war in Gaza is the reporter's; his quoted words name no country.
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] A note beneath his June 29, 2025 letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the same page: “He visited Israel, lived in Iran, and was stationed in Iraq while he was an Army officer.” It adds that he majored in Middle East studies.
Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying
Nothing located about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or any other lobby on this subject, at any date.
[Position, 2025-11-17] His press release of that date, a copy of a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the war between Russia and Ukraine, proposes a cease-fire force in a demilitarized zone “arranged among European non-NATO countries, e.g. Ireland, Austria, Cyprus, and Malta, as well as possibly South Africa, Israel, and Armenia, each assigned to a specific sector of a demilitarized zone.” It is about Ukraine and names Israel only as a possible contributor of troops. The Vox Populi interview reports the same plan.
[Earlier record, 2020-01-24] His position paper on gun ownership, dated 15 October 2019 and revised 24 January 2020, cites Israel as an example of armed civilians: “Indeed, Israel is now allowing more civilians – hundreds of thousands – to own guns. Armed Israeli citizens have neutralized a high percentage of terrorists in the act of committing murder.” It is about domestic gun policy.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not an answer to what America sends)
Nothing located from him on antisemitism or the safety of Jewish communities, at any date. The nearest is in the Vox Populi interview, where, arguing for gun rights, he cited the Holocaust among genocides by governments that disarmed people: “Sure enough, when they were able to round up people, whether they were Germans who were against the regime, or Jewish people, or others, when people are disarmed, it's very hard for them to resist.”
What the campaign site and own pages say
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] His home page lists his main positions as Anti-War, Pro-U.S. Defense Industries, Pro-Legal Immigration, Pro-Gun Ownership, Pro-Equal Justice For All, Federal Government Help For Florida, Uphold Beneficial Programs and Support For Human Rights, and sets out his service: Defense Intelligence Agency analyst from 1999 to 2018, covering Francophone West Africa and then Iran; mobilized for the Iraq War in 2008 and 2009 and served in Baghdad on General Petraeus's staff; retired from the Army as a major in 2010.
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] His mission page covers abortion, the wars above, defense industries, immigration, guns, the FBI and Justice Department, the Department of Education, Social Security, Medicare, taxes and energy. Israel, Gaza and Palestinians do not appear on it.
[Read 2026-09-25] His press releases page carries releases dated from January 2024 to November 2025. The only mention of Israel in any of them is the Ukraine plan above. His resolutions, gallery and volunteer pages carry no statements on this subject.
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] His Ballotpedia page says he has not completed its 2026 Candidate Connection survey and did not complete the 2024 one, and lists only his campaign website among his accounts.
The race
[Undated; read 2026-09-25] Ballotpedia: “James Pericola, Joe Strada, and Ralph Groves are running in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 11 on November 3, 2026.” The Libertarian primary was cancelled and he advanced without appearing on a ballot. Ballotpedia also lists him among the withdrawn or disqualified candidates in the 2024 Libertarian primary for this seat.
[Position, 2026-05-06] The Apopka Chief's report on the field says Webster announced his retirement the week before, and describes Groves as the sole Libertarian candidate.
[Position, 2025-12-17] Vox Populi says he filed to run in June 2024; the Florida Division of Elections gives his filing date as 06/20/2024. Its 2026 general election list shows him as the Libertarian Party of Florida's qualified candidate for District 11.
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
The Libertarian Party of Orange County's page of articles by him, https://orange.lpf.org/author/ralph_groves/ , which was no longer online and returned a security certificate for a different address.
The iVoterGuide page for this race lists him with a link to his campaign site but shows no questionnaire from him or from either opponent.
No social media accounts are linked from his campaign site or from Ballotpedia.
Not on the card, and why
His June 29, 2025 letter to Secretary Rubio on regime change in Iran, and his press releases about Iran: Iran is a different question from what the United States sends to the government of Israel. They are recorded above.
His November 2025 proposal for a cease-fire force in Ukraine that could include Israeli troops: it is about Ukraine. It is recorded above.
The references to Israel in his 2019 and 2020 gun-ownership paper: earlier record, and about domestic gun policy.
His reference to the Holocaust in the gun-rights part of the interview: an argument about guns, not a statement on antisemitism today. It is recorded above.
His positions on abortion, immigration, guns, federal agencies, education, Social Security, Medicare, taxes, energy, drinking water and the Coast Guard: out of scope. They are listed above so the absence is checkable.
James Pericola's and Joe Strada's records: they belong on their own cards.
Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)
https://www.wintergardenvox.com/articles/libertarian-candidate-wants-voters-to-have-a-third-option-in-congressional-race (opened; 2026-09-25; dated December 17, 2025 on the page)
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.
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