Tom Hanson
Hanson answered "No" to both aid questions in a 2024 WTTW candidate guide: whether the U.S. should provide Israel with money in its fight against Hamas, and whether it should provide military supplies. Local coverage says his platform opposes military aid to Israel and Ukraine.
Hanson is the Republican candidate for Illinois's 5th District. He ran for the same seat in 2024.
His position is recorded as answers rather than statements. In the WTTW voters' guide for the 2024 primary, read in full, he answered "No" to "Should the U.S. provide Israel with money in its fight against Hamas?" and "No" to "Should the United States provide Israel with aid in the form of military supplies in its fight against Hamas?" He also answered "No" on military supplies for Ukraine. He used the full range elsewhere on the same form, answering "Yes" on background checks for gun sales and "No" on an assault-weapons ban, which is what makes these answers evidence of a position rather than a blanket refusal to engage.
Local 2026 coverage describes his platform the same way: he "does not support aid to Ukraine or Israel".
The opposition is to foreign military aid generally rather than aimed at this conflict specifically, and he has published no statement on U.S. aid to Palestinians or on the conflict itself. In a 2022 voter guide he indicated "Strongly Disagree" on supporting the BDS movement.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- [Position, 2024-03-19] WTTW candidate guide, opened and confirmed. Verbatim question and answer pairs: "Should the U.S. provide Israel with money in its fight against Hamas?" answered "No"; "Should the United States provide Israel with aid in the form of military supplies in its fight against Hamas?" answered "No"; "Should the United States provide Ukraine with aid in the form of military supplies?" answered "No." **Questionnaire test satisfied:** on the same form he answered "Yes" to background checks on all gun sales and "No" to an assault-weapons ban, so he used the range rather than declining to engage.
- [Position, 2026-02-26] Moraine Valley coverage of the 2026 primary, confirmed verbatim: "Does not support aid to Ukraine or Israel." A reporter's summary of his platform, not his words.
- His opposition covers foreign military aid generally, which is how the card and deep dive describe it, per the rule against rendering a blanket position as an Israel-specific one.
- He has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- No statement or documented position found by the research.
Characterization of the conflict
- Nothing located beyond the aid answers above.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Earlier record, 2022-11-08] A voter-guide questionnaire records "Strongly Disagree" on supporting the BDS movement against Israel (iVoterGuide entry). Boycott politics is outside what this project tracks on cards; recorded here. Note this sits alongside his opposition to military aid, which a reader may find surprising, so both are on the page.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- Nothing located.
Consulted
Also in this race: Mike Quigley (Democrat) · All Illinois candidates.
See the full record →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 the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.