But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Ty Masterson
Republican · Governor, Kansas
?Mixed
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In an October 2025 interview he says moral courage shows itself in many ways, including "standing by Israel when it’s not politically convenient", without saying where he stands on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
Masterson helped lead Kansas's adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and joined an October 2025 state-lawmaker delegation to Israel, where he called standing by Israel "when it’s not politically convenient" moral courage. We found no statement from him on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel.
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Masterson is the Kansas Senate President and won the August 4, 2026 Republican primary for governor. His record on this issue is state-level advocacy and antisemitism work; we found no statement from him on U.S. military aid, weapons, or money in this conflict, which as a state legislator he has never voted on.
He helped spearhead Kansas's adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism into state statute in early 2025, spoke at a June 2025 State Leadership Summit on Antisemitism in Kansas City, urging other states to adopt it, and attended the June 2025 emergency summit in Boulder after the firebombing of Jewish marchers. In September 2025 he praised the suspension of a Kansas State employee who had made statements supporting Hamas.
In October 2025 he joined a delegation of state lawmakers to Israel organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, a group that campaigns against antisemitism and works with state legislators on it. In an interview before heading home, he grounded his view in his faith: "Judaism is the foundation of the Christian faith. As a follower of Jesus Christ, who came to us from the Jews, I feel a deep sense of kinship," he said, adding: "When I see hatred toward Jews, it feels like an attack on my own family." He said he had been "stunned on this trip by the gap between reality and what comes through the propaganda machine back home", and that "We’re seeing the ‘Free Palestine’ messaging effectively reach young people on campuses and across social media." Asked what moral courage means, he said it shows itself in many ways, among them "standing by Israel when it’s not politically convenient". He also said "It’s important to understand the truth and spread it" and argued state-level action matters because federal efforts "don’t apply evenly across every state".
In their words
“Judaism is the foundation of the Christian faith. As a follower of Jesus Christ, who came to us from the Jews, I feel a deep sense of kinship”
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 (Middle East Eye's primaries coverage is the cited source for the absence). State office; no federal votes exist.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located.
Characterization of the conflict
[Reaction window, 2024-01-11] Co-signed the ALEC multi-state legislative letter affirming support for Israel and condemning Hamas's October 7 attacks. Not on the card summary; a letter signed by many, so no wording is attributed to him individually.
[Position, 2025-10-30] CAM delegation interview, read and verified: "It's important to understand the truth and spread it"; the faith/kinship span quoted on the card; state action matters because federal efforts "don't apply evenly across every state". On the conflict and on support for Israel, from the same interview: "It’s a huge effort, because I’ve been stunned on this trip by the gap between reality and what comes through the propaganda machine back home" and "We’re seeing the ‘Free Palestine’ messaging effectively reach young people on campuses and across social media. It’s essential that the real knowledge, the truth, comes through." Asked what moral courage means when speaking up for Israel or against antisemitism: "Moral courage shows itself in many ways — whether it’s defending someone who’s mistreated or standing by Israel when it’s not politically convenient" and "It means taking a stand no matter the price."
Related rhetoric and lobbying
[Position, 2025-06-29] Addressed the State Leadership Summit on Antisemitism and Support for Israel in Kansas City; urged nationwide state adoption of the IHRA definition (JPost, CAM interview above).
[Position, 2025-10-30] October 2025 CAM legislative delegation to Israel: solidarity, security conditions, state-level economic and cultural ties (CAM interview above).
[Position, 2025-09-04] Praised the suspension of a K-State employee who drew backlash for statements supporting Hamas (Sunflower State Journal).
Safety and antisemitism (context)
[Position, early 2025, reported] Helped spearhead Kansas's adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism into state statute (CAM interview, JPost above).
[Position, 2025-06-09] Attended the emergency regional summit in Boulder, Colorado after the firebombing attack on Jewish marchers, and sat on its panel of state lawmakers on countering antisemitism (the Combat Antisemitism Movement's report of the summit).
[Prior, 2021-10-30] When a union leader compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust at a legislative panel, Masterson commented that mandate opponents felt "like it's life and death" (Times of Israel, follow-up). A remark about public sentiment in a mandate fight, not an Israel position; earlier record, context only.
But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and
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