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

Matt Dunlap

Democrat · U.S. House, Maine District 2
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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: In an October 2025 news interview about the Gaza war he says "People are very impatient to see an end to that war", 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.

When he launched his October 2025 primary challenge to then-Rep. Jared Golden, Dunlap told Semafor that support for sending offensive weapons to the government of Israel was "eroding quickly" because, he added, "people see what’s happening on the news." He has not said what he would vote to send.

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Deep Dive

Dunlap is the Democratic nominee in Maine’s 2nd District, the state auditor and longtime former secretary of state. He opened a primary challenge to then-Rep. Jared Golden, and after Golden announced he would not seek reelection, won the June 2026 primary for the open seat.

Launching that challenge in October 2025, he told Semafor that Golden’s support from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, and Golden’s votes to keep sending offensive weapons to the government of Israel were a "mixed bag" in the Republican-leaning district: "I think support for that is eroding quickly". He added that this was "because people see what’s happening on the news." He also said: "People are very impatient to see an end to that war".

He has not said what he would vote to send the government of Israel, or under what conditions, and his campaign’s issues page never mentions Israel or Gaza. Ask Dunlap directly and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his 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

“People are very impatient to see an end to that war”
Source ↗, 2025-10-06

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

  • [Position, 2025-10-06] The Semafor launch interview, verified: the eroding-support and impatient-to-see-an-end quotes on the card. His campaign’s case included the incumbent’s support for offensive military aid.
  • No affirmative policy of his own (packages, conditions) located; stated on the card.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located.

Characterization of the conflict

  • The Semafor quotes above carry his framing through public opinion and war-weariness.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • Nothing located. None of the five committees we track reports direct support for him in the 2026 cycle.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Source notes

  • Two Press Herald items are readers’ letters, not news (one saying Gaza "will have a bearing" on Maine elections; another on shifted attitudes, whose author uses the word genocide). Letter-writers’ framings, labelled as such; neither is adopted nor treated as reporting.

Race and status context

  • Democratic nominee after winning the June 9, 2026 primary for the open seat on ranked-choice tabulation; the incumbent, Jared Golden, did not seek reelection (Maine Morning Star); his Republican opponent’s card carries its own record.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Paul LePage (Republican)

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.