But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Kate Cotten

Republican · U.S. House, Louisiana District 3
–
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.

Nothing located has Cotten taking a position on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. Her candidate survey is blank, no campaign site was located, and the only coverage naming her is the qualified-candidate list.

✉  Copy a message to send them

We don’t have a campaign email on file yet. Copy this message and send it through their website or a public social account.

If you send this from your own email, cc replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org so we can post their answer.

Deep Dive

Cotten is a Republican candidate in Louisiana's 3rd District, from Lake Charles.

The record here is a list entry and little else. Her Ballotpedia profile states that she has not completed that site's 2026 candidate survey, which is where several of her opponents in this state have said something about foreign policy. Local coverage of the close of qualifying names her among the candidates on the ballot. No campaign website was located for her, so the check normally run against a candidate's own site could not be run.

What was checked to reach that conclusion is listed on this card's research page. You are better placed to get an answer than we are. Ask Cotten directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in her own 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

  • Nothing located.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located.

Characterization of the conflict

  • Nothing located.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • Nothing located.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Where the absence was checked

  • [Consulted, read 2026-08-20] Her Ballotpedia profile. Opened. It states: "Kate Cotten has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey." That is a fact about the form, not a position.
  • [Consulted, read 2026-08-20] Local coverage of the final candidate list, dated 2026-08-07. Opens and names her in the field. A list entry only.
  • No campaign website was located for her, and none is recorded in our records. The own-site check the standing rule requires could not be run, which is recorded rather than passed over.
  • Two further addresses were offered and carry nothing of hers: a candidate oversight profile and https://www.localcandidates.org/politicians/kate-cotten, the latter on a host that could not be opened and is not used.
  • ⚠ **Surname collision, recorded so it is never used.** Two addresses supplied under her name concern Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas: a legislative scorecard keyed to his member identifier and his Wikipedia article. Both open. Neither is about this candidate and nothing from either is used, here or on the card. Senator Cotton has an extensive record on the questions this project asks, which is exactly why the collision is written out.

Race and status context

  • Qualified on Louisiana's certified list for the all-candidate November election in the 3rd District, with a December runoff between the top two if nobody clears half the vote. Six candidates are on the ballot.
  • She has held no federal office, so there are no recorded votes on this card.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Clay Higgins (Republican)
  2. – Caleb "With a C" Walker (Democrat)
  3. – John Day (Democrat)
  4. ? Priscilla Gonzalez (Democrat)
  5. – Tia LeBrun (Independent)

All Louisiana candidates.

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.