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

Cheryl Riley

Republican · U.S. House, Maryland District 8
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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.

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Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: Answering a June 2026 voter-guide question, she says "the US-Israel relationship is strategically vital" and that Israel is "our strongest ally in the Middle East", without saying where she 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.

Riley calls the U.S.-Israel relationship "strategically vital" in her survey answers: Israel is "our strongest ally in the Middle East", sharing critical intelligence and joint military technology. Nothing located reaches aid packages, conditions, or U.S. aid to Palestinians.

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Deep Dive

Riley is the Republican nominee in Maryland’s 8th District.

Her position sits in a candidate survey she answered: "Yes, the US-Israel relationship is strategically vital. They are our strongest ally in the Middle East. They share critical intelligence, develop joint military tech that strengthens American defense...", alliance-endorsing in her own words, with no transfer, package or condition named, and this card does not supply one. A local advocacy guide recorded no response from her on specific arms-restriction legislation.

Ask Riley what she would vote to send, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in her own words.

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 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.

In their words

“Yes, the US-Israel relationship is strategically vital. They are our strongest ally in the Middle East.”
Source ↗, 2026-06-23

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 that reaches transfers, packages or conditions.
  • [Position, survey] Her candidate survey, verified word for word and quoted on the card; relationship endorsed, nothing operational.
  • [Non-response] The advocacy guide recorded no response on arms-restriction proposals; a non-response, recorded as that.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located.

Characterization of the conflict

  • The survey answer above is the whole of it.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • Nothing located. No tracked funding badge appears because no committee support is recorded for her.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Where the absence was checked

  • [Consulted] Her campaign site (it could not be retrieved at writing time and is not yet confirmed), county-party event pages, and her Ballotpedia profile.

Race and status context

  • Republican nominee in a heavily Democratic district, facing the sitting member. She has held no office, so there are no recorded votes on this card.

Also in this race

  1. ? Jamie Raskin (Democrat)
  2. – Nancy Wallace (Green)

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.