But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Darren Soto
- Backed with $35K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC +1 more
Soto signed a letter from 144 House Democrats urging the President to retract proposals to permanently relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and another urging regional pressure on Hamas to end its war. Nothing located since early 2024 states his individual position on what the United States sends.
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Deep Dive
Soto represents Florida's 9th District, Kissimmee and the Orlando suburbs, and he is the sitting member.
His recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card, and his recent record on the region runs through letters signed with colleagues. In February 2025 he was among 144 House Democrats urging the President to retract statements proposing the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza and a U.S. takeover of the territory. In September 2025 he signed a letter urging the Secretary of State to coordinate with the Arab League to pressure Hamas to end its war against Israel. Each is a multi-signer letter, and the wording of each belongs to its signers collectively.
His own bills on the relationship are cooperative rather than military: he co-introduced the agricultural research partnership act enacted in the 2018 Farm Bill, and in January 2025 was an original co-sponsor of a medical technology research partnership bill.
His writing on aid itself dates from the weeks after the October 2023 attack and is on the research page. Nothing located since states his own position on weapons transfers or military funding in his own words, and his statements on antisemitism, which are many, are context on the research page rather than an answer to what the United States sends.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes · Backs 0 of 1 tracked bills to restrict weapons transfers
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.
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Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$35K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement) · DMFI PAC (2026 endorsement)
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
- His recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card, all pointing one way; the grounding for each sits in the record section.
- [Reaction window, 2024-01-11] His Orlando Sentinel op-ed, republished on his House site, calling for a supplemental budget with emergency funding for Israel, Ukraine, disaster relief and border security. Dated inside the reaction window, so not on the card summary; listed here.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-19] Signed the Moskowitz-Mast letter urging the Defense Department to transfer two idle U.S.-owned Iron Dome systems to Israel, per Florida Politics. Not on the card summary.
- [Prior, 2021-06-02] Among 56 signers of the Gottheimer letter urging replenishment of Iron Dome interceptors, per the lead sponsor's release; we could not corroborate it beyond that release. Prior band.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-02-13] The Casten-Sherman letter of 144 House Democrats urging retraction of proposals to permanently relocate Palestinians from Gaza, with the letter itself as a PDF. Opened and confirmed that the release describes the letter and its signer count; a multi-signer letter, stated as such.
- Nothing located on U.S. humanitarian funding, the aid pipeline or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in his own individual words.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-09-26] The Auchincloss letter urging coordination with the Arab League to pressure Hamas to end its war against Israel. A multi-signer letter.
- [Reaction window, 2023-11-07] Signed the joint statement rejecting "From the river to the sea", characterizing the October 7 attack as a "barbaric terrorist attack" and saying "neither the Palestinian nor Israeli people can have peace as long as Hamas still rules over Gaza" and "every civilian killed, every family torn apart, Palestinian and Israeli, is a tragedy", per a co-signer's release and the statement document. Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2023-11-22] Expressed gratitude for the four-day ceasefire and hostage releases, per The Floridian. Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2024-01-23] Signed the bipartisan letter rejecting South Africa's genocide case at the International Court of Justice as "deeply hostile" and "cynical", carried as a PDF on Representative Chris Smith's site. Two days inside the reaction window; not on the card summary.
- [Prior, 2017-12-06] His statement on the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Prior band.
- [Position, 2025-09-26 and 2025-02-13] The two letters above are his only position-band characterizations, both collective.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2017-05-25] Co-introduced the United States-Israel Agriculture Strategic Partnership Act, enacted via the 2018 Farm Bill.
- [Prior, 2022-01-25] Signed the bipartisan letter urging the defunding of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Israel, criticizing its mandate as biased, per Insider NJ's copy of the release. A U.S.-money-through-the-UN position, prior band.
- [Prior, 2023-02-02] Co-sponsored House Resolution 92 recognizing Israel as a democratic ally, per the lead sponsor's release.
- [Prior, 2023-07-17] Signed the 43-Democrat statement describing Israel as "the only vibrant, progressive, and inclusive democracy in the region" after Representative Jayapal's remarks, per the lead office's release.
- [Position, 2025-01-23] Original co-sponsor of the medical-technology partnership bill, per Representative Buchanan's release and the Combat Antisemitism Movement's note. The bill name our search gives is not repeated on the card, per the standing rule on names and numbers from search results.
- [Prior, 2017-12-05] Discussed his American Israel Education Foundation trip at a University of Central Florida Hillel visit, per his own site. Tracked funding totals appear as a badge on this card.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2017-02-22] Signed the letter demanding federal action on Jewish Community Center bomb threats, per Florida Politics.
- [Prior, 2023-03-02] Sought a Justice Department investigation into an antisemitic provocateur network in Central Florida.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-25] Joined the George Washington University alumni letter on anti-Israel projections, per The GW Hatchet; [Reaction window, 2023-11-21] signed the appropriations letter for the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, per Representative Raskin's release. Neither is on the card summary.
- [Position, 2025-10-07] Co-sponsored the bill directing a Holocaust Memorial Museum curriculum on modern antisemitism, per BillTrack50; [Position, 2026-07-22] co-sponsored the AMIA bombing commemoration resolution, per Representative Wasserman Schultz's release.
Race and status context
- Sitting representative, nominated, in one of this cycle's priority districts on this site's list.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Dan Green (Republican)
All Florida candidates.
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