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

Stewart Cathey Jr.

Republican · U.S. House, Louisiana District 5
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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: In an undated voter-guide answer he answers "Strongly Disagree" to a statement supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel, 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.

Nothing located has Cathey taking a position on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel. He answered "Strongly Disagree" to a proposition supporting boycotts of Israel, and was one of thirty-four sponsors of a resolution urging Congress to support Israel.

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Deep Dive

Cathey is a Republican candidate in Louisiana's 5th District, an Army veteran who has served in the Louisiana State Senate since 2019.

Two items on his record touch these questions and neither is about transfers. Filling in a candidate survey during a state senate campaign he was given a proposition supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel over the occupied territories, the West Bank barrier, equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens and the rights of Palestinian refugees. He marked "Strongly Disagree". That is a position on an economic-pressure campaign rather than on what the United States sends.

In 2021 he was among the sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution 96, which memorialized the United States Congress "to take such actions as are necessary to support Israel" and was sent to congressional leaders. Thirty-four legislators signed it, its language is the resolution's rather than his, and it predates the war in Gaza.

So the direction of travel is visible and the specifics are not. Nothing located has him addressing weapons transfers, military funding, or aid to Palestinians in his own words. If you want that answer, ask Cathey directly and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words.

What was checked to reach that conclusion is listed on this card's research page.

The money

Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found

2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-09-27) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.

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. No statement of his on transfers or military funding was found.
  • [Prior, 2021-06-07] Sponsor of Louisiana House Concurrent Resolution 96, confirmed on two carriers: BillTrack50 lists "Stewart Cathey (R)" among 34 sponsors and reproduces the resolution's own text, "A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION To memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to support Israel", and the Louisiana Legislature's bill record lists him among the co-authors.

⚠ **Thirty-four sponsors.** The wording is the resolution's, not his, and the card says "one of thirty-four sponsors" for that reason. Prior to the bands used for card positions and predating the war in Gaza by more than two years.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located. The resolution above concerns support for Israel and does not address Palestinian assistance.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, read 2026-08-20] His candidate survey, filled in for a state senate campaign. Opened and read under its own proposition. Against "I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees", his answer is "Strongly Disagree". Confirmed word for word.

⚠ The page carries no answer date. Its own metadata places the form in an earlier state election cycle, and it is banded to the day it was read, which is the standing treatment for a live page with no publication date. No quote entry is created for the same reason. ⚠ This is a position on an economic-pressure campaign, not on United States transfers, and the card says so.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • The two items above are the whole of it. Nothing located on lobbying organizations or campaign funding.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Where else the absence was checked

  • [Consulted, read 2026-08-20] His Wikipedia article. Opens; no in-scope content.
  • No campaign website was located for him, 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 for his campaign announcement: https://www.facebook.com/ktve10kard14/posts/republican-state-sen-stewart-cathey-jr-announced-on-social-media-that-he-was-run/1461608986005805/, a television station's Facebook post that could not be opened, and coverage of qualifying, which opens. Neither carries anything in scope.

Race and status context

  • Qualified on Louisiana's certified list for the all-candidate November election in the 5th District, with a December runoff between the top two if nobody clears half the vote. Nine candidates are on the ballot in this district.
  • He has held no federal office, so there are no recorded votes on this card. His state legislative record is not a federal voting record and is not presented as one.

Also in this race

  1. – Austin Magee (Republican)
  2. – Gabe Firment (Republican)
  3. ✗ Michael Echols (Republican)
  4. – Misti Cordell (Republican)
  5. – Oscar "Omar" Dantzler (Republican)
  6. – Antonio Wilson (Democrat)
  7. ? Dan McKay (Democrat)
  8. – Patricia "Pat" Moore (Democrat)

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.