But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Josh Turek
Turek said in August 2025 that U.S. taxpayer dollars and support for the government of Israel should not go "toward the hurting or killing of children or civilians". In 2025 he backed an amendment conditioning a pro-Israel resolution on "adherence to international humanitarian law", then voted for it unamended.
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You asked Josh Turek where they stand.
Deep Dive
Turek is an Iowa state representative and the Democratic Senate nominee, running a campaign focused on health care and economic issues. His only recorded acts on this question are from the statehouse, and they pull in both directions at once.
In early 2025 he supported an amendment that would have conditioned the Iowa House's pro-Israel resolution on "the State of Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law and protection of innocent civilian lives," per Jewish Insider. The amendment failed, and he then voted for final passage of the unamended resolution, which condemned antisemitism, supported Israel, and expressed solidarity with the victims of October 7. Jewish Insider's own words carry the open question: "Turek's campaign declined to comment on his votes, or on his position on efforts to suspend U.S. arms sales and transfers to Israel."
In August 2025, at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, he was asked about the U.S. role in the Israel-Hamas war. The Nonpareil's report in The Gazette says he called Israel an ally of the United States and said there are limits to what the U.S. should be doing. It quotes him directly: "The response at this point has been disproportionate," and then "I don't think that taxpayer dollars or United States support should be going toward the hurting or killing of children or civilians or certainly not impeding aid going into these areas."
In September 2025, asked about allied governments recognizing a Palestinian state, he did not respond to the Washington Reporter's request for comment. JStreetPAC, the political action committee of J Street, lists him as endorsed and his race as a priority; J Street describes itself as the political home and voice for "pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans".
In his own words, then, U.S. taxpayer money and support should not go toward harming civilians. What he has not said is whether he would vote to suspend U.S. arms sales and transfers to the government of Israel, the question his campaign declined to answer in September 2025. If you want the answer, you are better placed to get it than we are: ask Turek directly and send us the reply.
The record
• In 2025, as an Iowa state representative, Turek voted for a failed amendment to a pro-Israel Iowa House resolution that would have conditioned support on Israel's "adherence to international humanitarian law and protection of innocent civilian lives," and then voted for final passage of the resolution after the amendment failed. His campaign declined to comment on the votes or on efforts to suspend U.S. arms sales and transfers to Israel. (Reported by Jewish Insider, September 2025.)
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: Quoted in an August 2025 news article, he called Israel's response "disproportionate" and said he does not think taxpayer dollars or U.S. support should go toward "the hurting or killing of children or civilians", with nothing pointing the other way. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct support found in any cycle they have filed
In their words
JStreetPAC (2026) · Peace Action (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
- [Position, 2025-08-18, published 2025-08-19] Asked at a Council Bluffs campaign event about the U.S. role in the Israel-Hamas war (the Nonpareil's report, carried by The Gazette, read and verified verbatim): the report says "Turek said that while Israel remains an ally to the U.S., there are limits to what the U.S. should be doing," then quotes him: "The response at this point has been disproportionate," and "And I don't think that taxpayer dollars or United States support should be going toward the hurting or killing of children or civilians or certainly not impeding aid going into these areas."
- [Position, 2025-09-04, reporting on early-2025 votes] Jewish Insider, read and verified: supported the failed amendment conditioning the Iowa House pro-Israel resolution on "the State of Israel's adherence to international humanitarian law and protection of innocent civilian lives"; voted for final passage after the amendment failed; "Turek's campaign declined to comment on his votes, or on his position on efforts to suspend U.S. arms sales and transfers to Israel." A Jewish Insider Facebook photo post carries the same item.
- [Position, 2026-04-26, per YouTube's automatic transcript] Iowa Starting Line interview clip (YouTube short; transcript read 2026-09-24, video not watched): no taxpayer dollars should go to any organization, group or regime that is not abiding by international law. That sentence does not name Israel; the outlet's caption says he was asked about "Israel's killing of civilians in Gaza" and frames his answer as not funding "a country that is violating international law." Paraphrased, not quoted, because the transcript is machine-made.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2025-08-18] In the same answer (The Gazette) he said U.S. support should not be "impeding aid going into these areas"; that concerns aid reaching Gaza, not a stated position on U.S. funding for Palestinians. Nothing else located.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2025-08-18] Asked about the U.S. role in the Israel-Hamas war, he said "The response at this point has been disproportionate" (The Gazette, carrying the Nonpareil's report).
- [Position, early 2025, per Jewish Insider] Supported statehouse language affirming human rights and condemning war crimes, crimes against humanity, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians by any party.
- [Position, 2025-09-23] Did not respond to the Washington Reporter's request for comment on allied recognition of Palestinian statehood (read; the outlet's own words; the same page covers Hinson and Wahls).
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Position, 2026-07-24] In a Times of Israel analysis, Halie Soifer, head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, is reported as naming Turek among Democratic candidates in mixed areas who "have not prioritized Israel." A third party's characterization, not his words. (His description of himself as a "common-sense prairie populist" is his own, from the August 2025 Council Bluffs event.)
- [Position, 2026-06-03] On Schumer-alignment attacks after the primary (JNS): "I’m not running against Schumer," Turek said, according to the Washington Post, as JNS reports it, and "I’m running against Ashley Hinson and Trump." Race framing, not an Israel position.
- [Position, read 2026-09-25] JStreetPAC's candidate page lists him as "Endorsed" and his race as a "Priority". JStreetPAC is the political action committee of J Street, which on its own about page says it "was created to serve as the political home and voice for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans." JStreetPAC is not one of the committees whose funding this site tracks.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Position, early 2025, per Jewish Insider] Voted for the Iowa House resolution condemning antisemitism, supporting Israel, and expressing solidarity with October 7 victims; also supported an amendment condemning the pardoning of antisemitic January 6 participants.
What the campaign site says
- [Position, read 2026-09-25] His campaign platform does not mention Israel, Gaza, Palestinians or aid to either. Its one line on war is in the veterans plank: "End unnecessary wars that put American lives at risk."
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Ashley Hinson (Republican)
- –No Position Found Thomas Laehn (Libertarian)
All Iowa candidates.
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