But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Brad Finstad
- Backed with $25K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (lifetime)
- Endorsed by AIPAC
- Sits on House Armed Services
Finstad backs security cooperation with the government of Israel: after meeting American Israel Public Affairs Committee leaders in February 2026 he pledged on his official account to keep strengthening cooperation with Israel, and he co-sponsors defense partnership legislation. Nothing located addresses U.S. aid to Palestinians.
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Deep Dive
Finstad represents Minnesota's 1st District, the state's southern tier from Rochester to the prairie, and he is the sitting member and a House Armed Services Committee member.
His one extended statement in the position band came after meeting leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in February 2026, posted on his official account: citing his House Armed Services Committee seat, he pledged to keep working to strengthen security cooperation with Israel. The post's exact caption is held on the research page pending verification, because the address the post was captured from does not resolve. He co-sponsors defense-cooperation legislation with Israel, per his sponsorship registry, and on the war's first anniversary posted a statement describing the attack as the work of an Iran-funded proxy while reiterating support for Israel's defense, again on his official account.
His recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card. His statements from the weeks after the October 2023 attack, including a letter rejecting the genocide case at the International Court of Justice signed two days before that window closed, are on the research page.
Nothing located has him addressing U.S. humanitarian aid for Palestinians as a question of its own, at any date.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes · Backs 0 of 1 tracked bills to restrict weapons transfers
House Committee on Armed Services
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.
Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$25K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
In their words
AIPAC (2026 endorsement)
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
- His recorded votes on the tracked bills appear as badges on this card, all pointing one way; the grounding for each sits in the record section.
- [Position, 2026-02-25] His official page's post after meeting AIPAC leaders, on his account. Our search captured the caption exactly: "As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I know how critical our security partnerships are and will continue working to strengthen cooperation with our ally Israel and advance policies that keep America safe." ⚠ The photo-slug address our search supplied is not a real address (Not Found on 2026-08-21), so the caption is carried here on our search's capture alone and is not quoted on the card.
- [Position, 2025] Co-sponsor of the United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025, per his sponsorship registry at BillTrack50. The bill number the registry gives (H.R. 1237) is the registry's own and is not repeated on the card, per the standing rule that bill and roll-call numbers from search results are never trusted without the official record.
- [Position, 2025-07-10, offered and unsupported] Our search reports he co-sponsored the bill expediting arms sales to Abraham Accords partners; the carrier offered is Jewish Insider's piece on that bill, which does not name him (our own name check found he is not named, and we could not corroborate the claim). Nothing claimed.
- [Prior, 2023-05-09, single tracker] Co-sponsorship of the United States-Israel Innovation Review Act, tracked by the Minnesota Peace Project, an advocacy tracker; we could not corroborate it, and it is recorded as the tracker's claim.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located at any date.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2024-10-07] His first-anniversary post on his account: the attack was by "Hamas, an Iran-funded proxy", with support for Israel's defense reiterated. ⚠ Same invented-address problem as above: the caption is as our search captured it, not quoted on the card.
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-07] His statement on the day of the attack, collected by the Minnesota-Dakotas Jewish Community Relations Council: "The images coming out of Israel today are horrific. I will always stand united with our ally in the Middle East and support their right to defend themselves against these heinous acts of terror. Praying for Israel". Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2023-11-30] Joined the bipartisan letter to UN Women on its silence over Hamas's sexual violence, per Representative Young Kim's release. Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2024-01-16] Co-sponsored H.Res. 966 condemning rape and sexual violence by Hamas. Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2024-01-23] Signed the bipartisan letter to Secretary Blinken rejecting South Africa's genocide case at the International Court of Justice as "particularly cynical"; the carrier is the letter itself on Representative Chris Smith's site, a PDF whose text was not extracted here, and the signing falls two days inside the reaction window. Not on the card summary, with the carrier's limits recorded.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2023-07-20] The Minnesota Republican delegation's joint statement after President Herzog's address: "We strongly condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms, which is why we proudly voted to affirm our relationship with Israel and reject the absurd notion that Israel is a racist state..." A joint statement, stated as such. Prior band.
- The February 2026 AIPAC meeting above. Tracked funding totals appear as a badge on this card.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-26] Co-sponsored H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, per Bill Sponsor. Not on the card summary.
- [Reaction window, 2023-12-08] Signed the letter to university governing boards on campus antisemitism. Not on the card summary.
- [Position, 2024-05-23, single outlet] He is quoted condemning campus antisemitism ("The antisemitism that Jewish students are experiencing on campus is appalling..."), per Popular Information's report, which attributes the quote via Heartland Signal; we could not corroborate it. Safety context, kept here.
- [Position, 2025-01-27] His Holocaust Remembrance Day post on his account (same invented-address problem, captured by our search): "...we must stand together and fight against the rise of antisemitism worldwide..." His own account. Context.
Race and status context
- Sitting representative, nominated, in one of this cycle's priority districts on this site's list. His Democratic challenger's card carries its own record.
Also in this race
- –No Position Found Jake Johnson (Democrat)
All Minnesota candidates.
See everyone on the Minnesota ballot →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.