But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Deva Simmons
Other · U.S. House, Florida District 18
–No Position Found
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.
No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.
Nothing located as of September 2026 has Simmons taking a position on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. Her campaign platform and her answers to Ballotpedia's questionnaire are domestic throughout.
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Deva Simmons is running in Florida's 18th District with no party affiliation, and the Division of Elections lists her as qualified by petition for the November 3, 2026 ballot. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she moved to Florida in 1995 and has lived in Polk County since 2002. Her campaign site says she has spent more than twenty years in education, and in her answers to Ballotpedia she describes herself as a former outreach specialist with the Polk County Supervisor of Elections. She faces Representative Scott Franklin and Curtis Gibson, the Democratic nominee. She has held no office, so there are no votes on this record.
This is an empty record on these questions rather than a thin one. Her platform has four headings: affordable health care, quality education, economic stability and defending democracy. She answered Ballotpedia's candidate survey in September 2026, naming education, affordable health care and economic stability as her key messages and voting rights as the issue she is most passionate about. The words Israel, Gaza and Palestinian appear nowhere on her site or in her answers. An empty record carries no implication either way.
You are better placed to change this than we are. Ask Simmons directly, or at a candidate forum, 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.
Our research for this card began with a search run on 2026-09-28, and every page below was opened and read on 2026-10-01 unless the entry says otherwise. Her campaign site was read in full: its home page, its page about her, its issues page and its events page. Her Ballotpedia page and her Candidate Connection answers were read in full, along with a local report of the ballot. She has held no office, so none of the congressional votes this site tracks are hers. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated.
U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel
Nothing located, at any date. The word Israel appears nowhere on her campaign site or in her Ballotpedia answers. Nothing was found about arms transfers, Foreign Military Financing, the memorandum of understanding, or any bill or amendment on this subject, and nothing on foreign policy or the military of any kind.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, at any date. Gaza, the West Bank, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and humanitarian funding appear nowhere in anything she has published or answered.
Characterization of the conflict
Nothing located, at any date.
Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying
Nothing located from her, at any date. Her platform's Defending Democracy heading includes "Reforming campaign finance laws", which names no organization.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not an answer to what America sends)
Nothing located, at any date.
What the campaign site and own pages say
[Position; undated live page, read 2026-10-01] Her issues page lists four headings, each with five points: Affordable Healthcare ("Healthcare is a right, not a privilege"), Quality Education, Economic Stability ("An economy that works for all") and Defending Democracy ("Every voice deserves to be heard"). None concerns foreign policy.
[Position; undated live page, read 2026-10-01] Her home page says she is a native of Brooklyn who relocated to Florida in 1995, has lived in Polk County since 2002, and has more than twenty years in education, and lists her service with the Boys & Girls Club of Lakeland, the AGB Museum of Art, kidsPACK, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Polk County Schools. Her page about herself and her events page carry nothing on foreign policy.
[Position, 2026-09-08] Her Ballotpedia survey, submitted on September 8, 2026. Her three key messages are Education, Affordable Healthcare and Economic Stability & Equality. Asked what areas of public policy she is personally passionate about, she wrote: "The public policy issue I am most passionate about is voting and protecting every citizen’s ability to participate in our democracy." and described herself as "a former Outreach Specialist with the Polk County Supervisor of Elections". Asked who has endorsed her, she listed the Forward Party and AKA1908PAC.
The race
[Read 2026-10-01] The Division of Elections' record for her lists Deva Simmons, No Party Affiliation, for United States Representative, District 18, with a Lakeland post office box, filed on 09/03/2025 and qualified on 06/12/2026 by the petition method.
[Read 2026-10-01] Her Ballotpedia page lists Scott Franklin (R), Curtis Gibson (D) and Deva Simmons (No Party Affiliation) in the November 3, 2026 general election, gives her education as Erasmus Hall High School, Columbia College in 1990 and Adelphi University in 1995, and her profession as retired.
[Position, 2026-06-12] LkldNow's report of the ballot after qualifying: "District 18 U.S. Representative: Incumbent Scott Franklin (Rep) will face Curtis Gibson (Dem) and Deva Simmons (NPA)."
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
Her campaign's accounts, linked from her site and from Ballotpedia: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577167209866 , Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/devasimmonsnpa , and TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@deva.simmons.npa , and her LinkedIn page, https://www.linkedin.com/in/deva-simmons-90870a3aa . None was read.
A Local Candidates profile our research cited, https://www.localcandidates.org/politicians/deva-simmons/about/5813ee60-f356-46e0-9806-8824d64d6b02 . That guide cannot be read by any route.
Not on the card, and why
Her endorsements by the Forward Party and AKA1908PAC: not about this subject. On the research page.
Scott Franklin's and Curtis Gibson's records: they belong on their own cards.
Sources read for this card (address; opened or could not open; date read)
https://www.devasimmons.com/en , https://www.devasimmons.com/en/issues , https://www.devasimmons.com/en/meet-deva and https://www.devasimmons.com/en/events (opened; 2026-10-01; the issues page read by two routes)
https://ballotpedia.org/Deva_Simmons (opened; 2026-10-01; her survey was submitted 2026-09-08)
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.