But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Laurie Buckhout
Republican · U.S. House, North Carolina District 1
✗SupportsFrom an endorsement
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.
Buckhout's campaign platform says the United States must have the strength "to defend our allies like Israel." Nothing located goes further: no position on U.S. weapons or funding for the government of Israel, and none on aid to Palestinians. Ask her.
The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.
Buckhout is the Republican candidate for North Carolina's 1st District, a retired Army colonel, running again after her 2024 campaign.
Her campaign issues page names Israel once, inside a general commitment to military strength: "The United States must have the strength by all means necessary to protect us from countries like China, Iran, and Russia and to defend our allies like Israel." That is a statement about American capability, and it is the closest thing located to a position on this question.
Her March 2026 op-ed is about Iran rather than about what the United States sends Israel: "For decades, Iran's regime has done nothing but sponsor terror, arm proxy militias, threaten our allies, and pursue nuclear capability in open defiance of the civilized world."
She was endorsed by the Republican Jewish Coalition, a Republican group that backs pro-Israel candidates, in July 2024. An endorsement is a decision made about her, not a statement by her, so no position is inferred from it.
What is not on the record is the specific question: whether she would vote to continue, condition or cut U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel, and what she would do about U.S. aid to Palestinians. At a February 2026 Republican primary debate the candidates discussed continued support of Israel, but the report quotes none of them on it. She has no federal voting record.
You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask her directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in her own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about her.
The money
Targeted with $40K by PACs we track that support U.S. weapons funding for the government of Israel (2024); $5K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
Republican Jewish Coalition: $5,000
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
Republican Jewish Coalition$5,000The Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of the government of Israel.Direct contributions and independent expenditures supporting this candidate from the five lobbying groups we track, every cycle each has filed, through 2026. Excludes earmarked and conduit contributions.
Money spent against them
Independent expenditures opposing this candidate: advertising and other spending made to defeat them, without the candidate's involvement or consent. DMFI reported 1 independent expenditure opposing this candidate on 2024-10-22, totalling $40K. This counts only the five lobbying groups we track, so it is a floor on what was spent against this candidate, not a total. Each expenditure is counted because the committee itself named this candidate as the target on its FEC filing. These lobbying groups often spend along party lines, or to protect an incumbent they back, so this is not by itself a reading of the candidate's position.
Endorsed by Republican Jewish Coalition
Republican Jewish CoalitionThe Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.
In their words
“The United States must have the strength by all means necessary to protect us from countries like China, Iran, and Russia and to defend our allies like Israel.”
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
No position located on U.S. weapons transfers or funding to the government of Israel: not on conditioning, not on withholding, not on increasing.
[Position, read 2026-08-12] Her campaign issues page, opened and confirmed word for word, under "Support Our Nation's Military": "The United States must have the strength by all means necessary to protect us from countries like China, Iran, and Russia and to defend our allies like Israel." A live page with no publication date, so read-date; unchanged when read again on 2026-09-25. It is a statement about American military capability that names Israel among allies, and the card presents it as exactly that rather than as an answer about aid.
She has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
No statement or documented position located.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2026-03-02] "Peace through strength is not a slogan, it's a strategy", opened and confirmed word for word: "For decades, Iran's regime has done nothing but sponsor terror, arm proxy militias, threaten our allies, and pursue nuclear capability in open defiance of the civilized world." And: "Weakness invites aggression. Strength intimidates it." The op-ed is about Iran and American deterrence. It contains no characterization of the war in Gaza, of a two-state solution, or of Israeli military conduct.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
[Position, 2024-07-11] The Republican Jewish Coalition, a Republican group that backs pro-Israel candidates, endorsed her 2024 campaign (the RJC's release; JNS's report, 2024-07-15; both opened 2026-09-25). An endorsing organization's own platform is not the candidate's statement, and no position is inferred from it.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
[Position, 2024-07-11] The same RJC release contrasts the parties on investigating antisemitism on college campuses, on Iran and on UNRWA funding, and says the eight candidates it endorsed "will stand with the Jewish community and with Israel". The organization's wording, not hers.
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
[Position, 2026-02-20] The February 2026 Republican primary debate for this seat. WTKR's report on the debate says the candidates discussed "continued support of Israel", but it quotes no one on that topic, and the debate's own words were not read. What she said there is not known.
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.