But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Rob Sand
Sand, the state auditor, runs on lowering costs, growing the economy and schools. No statement by him on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel was located. In 2019 he ran the first enforcement audit of Iowa's anti-boycott law, saying "Israel is a great ally to us."
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You asked Rob Sand where they stand.
Deep Dive
Sand is Iowa's State Auditor and the Democratic nominee for governor. His campaign messaging stays on state administration, transparency, and the economy, and we found no statement from him on any dimension of this conflict.
His single located act near the issue is from December 2019, well before the current war. As auditor he found the Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa in technical noncompliance with the reporting requirements of Iowa's 2016 anti-boycott law, which covers transactions pertaining to companies boycotting Israel. He called it "definitely the first audit" enforcing that law, and said at the time: "it’s not a particularly controversial issue. Israel is a great ally to us" and "When you say [you are] willing to be supportive of your ally, you need to put your money where your mouth is." The noncompliance was procedural: the system had filed its report by mail with no confirmation of receipt.
That is a 2019 statement about enforcing a state disclosure law, not a position on what the United States should send in this war. If you want his current position, you are better placed to get it than we are: ask Sand directly and send us the reply. It goes on this page in his own words.
The record
• December 2019: As Iowa State Auditor, Sand issued a report finding the Municipal Fire & Police Retirement System of Iowa in violation of the reporting provision of Iowa's 2016 anti-boycott (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) law, which bars state pension funds from directly investing in companies that boycott Israel; Sand described it as 'definitely the first audit' done to ensure compliance with the anti-boycott statute.
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.
In their words
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
- No statement or action located here or in the record's prior research (as of July 2026).
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located.
Characterization of the conflict
- Nothing located; his messaging avoids international conflicts, as reported.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2019-12-17] As State Auditor, issued the audit finding the Municipal Fire & Police Retirement System of Iowa in technical noncompliance with Iowa Code 12J.5 reporting (the 2016 anti-BDS law). Jewish Insider, read and verified: "definitely the first audit" enforcing the law; "it’s not a particularly controversial issue. Israel is a great ally to us"; "When you say [you are] willing to be supportive of your ally, you need to put your money where your mouth is." The violation was procedural (hard-copy filing without confirmation); he recommended electronic filing. Earlier record; the card carries it as history only.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- Nothing located.
Race context
- Democratic nominee for governor 2026; State Auditor (Wikipedia).
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Zach Lahn (Republican)
All Iowa candidates.
See everyone on the Iowa ballot →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.