But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Ralph Alvarado
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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No recorded votes on the bills we track. Backed with $5K by AIPAC PAC (FEC filings); endorsed by AIPAC.
- Backed with $5K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
Alvarado calls Israel’s existence "a miracle, but it’s also our strongest ally in the Middle East", framing himself "an America First guy". As a state senator he led Kentucky’s first-in-the-nation adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition. Nothing located reaches aid or weapons specifics.
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You asked Ralph Alvarado where they stand.
Also in this race
- – Zach Dembo (Democrat)
- ? Jay J Bowman (Independent)
- ✓ Pete Lynch (Other)
All Kentucky candidates.
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