But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Nik Sandman
Libertarian · U.S. House, Nebraska District 1
✓Opposes
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In his own September 2026 voter-guide answer he calls what is happening in Gaza a genocide that "must be stopped", alongside calls to cut war spending, and nothing he says has weapons continuing. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
Asked by the Lincoln Journal Star when he had changed his mind on an issue, Sandman wrote: "Seeing the genocide in Gaza has changed my mind. It must be stopped." Nothing located has him saying what the U.S. should send the government of Israel or Palestinians.
✉ Copy a message to send them
We don’t have a campaign email on file yet. Copy this message and send it through their website or a public social account.
If you send this from your own email, cc replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org so we can post their answer.
Nik Sandman, 78, a retired farmer and rural mail carrier from Lincoln who grew up near Wauneta, is the Libertarian nominee in Nebraska's 1st District. He faces Representative Mike Flood, the Republican, Chris Backemeyer, the Democrat, and Dan Hartong of the America First Party on November 3. He says he was a Democrat most of his life. He has never held office, so there are no votes on this record.
The Lincoln Journal Star's voter guide, published September 28, 2026, asked each candidate about a time they changed their mind on an important issue. He answered: "The wars in Southwest Asia have gotten completely out of hand. Seeing the genocide in Gaza has changed my mind. It must be stopped." He answered all six of its questions. On the federal debt he wrote "Congress should cut war spending", and on budget priorities, "Reasonable health care policy is far more important than war spending." His campaign site says "Cut defense spending. Stop exporting war." None of these names the government of Israel or says what the United States should send it, or Palestinians.
In the Nebraska Examiner's primary guide he listed "peace" among his priorities and wrote that he supports "the Constitution and its requirement that Congress declare war." He has left all 32 of iVoterGuide's questions unanswered.
You are better placed to change this than we are. Ask Sandman directly, or at a candidate forum, what he would have the United States send, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about him.
In their words
“The wars in Southwest Asia have gotten completely out of hand. Seeing the genocide in Gaza has changed my mind. It must be stopped.”
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
Every page named below was opened and read on 2026-10-08 unless the entry says otherwise. His campaign site, niksandman.com, was read in full: its home, About Nik and Priorities And Policies pages. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. Undated pages are recorded on the date we read them. Sandman has never held office, so none of the congressional votes this site tracks is his, and no funding from the committees this site tracks is recorded on this record. Nothing located on this subject falls in the reaction window.
U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel
Nothing located that names the government of Israel, at any date.
[Position, 2026-09-28] The Lincoln Journal Star's 2026 General Election Voter's Guide for the House, under "Libertarian: Nik Sandman": "1) What should Congress do to address the federal deficit and national debt? What specific programs or areas of spending would you change?" "Congress should cut war spending. I favor Medicare for all." And "4) If your top priority conflicts with budget realities, what would you cut to fund it?" "Reasonable health care policy is far more important than war spending." Neither names a country.
[Position, read 2026-10-08] His campaign site's priorities page, under Lower Taxes, Less Waste: "Cut defense spending. Stop exporting war. Eliminate corporate welfare." Its comparison table: "Cut waste – reduce military spending, end corporate welfare, balance the budget through smart cuts." Neither names a country. The words Israel, Gaza and Palestinian appear nowhere on the site. His second campaign address carries the same platform.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located, at any date.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2026-09-28] The Lincoln Journal Star's guide: "3) Tell us about a time you changed your mind on an important issue. What caused the change?" "The wars in Southwest Asia have gotten completely out of hand. Seeing the genocide in Gaza has changed my mind. It must be stopped." He answered all six of the guide's questions.
[Undated, read 2026-10-08] His iVoterGuide profile lists "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?" with "Did not answer". All 32 of its questions read "Did not answer", so the blank is a fact about the guide's coverage of him.
Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying
Nothing located naming any organization on this subject, at any date. His site's home page lists "$0 CORPORATE MONEY".
Safety and antisemitism
Nothing located, at any date.
What his platform says
[Position, 2026, before the May 12 primary] The Nebraska Examiner's primary voter guide, read under "Nik Sandman (LIB)": "I support the Constitution and its requirement that Congress declare war." Priorities: "Freedom of speech and conscience, peace, life, agriculture and health. These are all important and at-risk things." His other answers are on immigration, the balance of power between Congress and the president, and farm parity prices.
[Position, 2026-03-06] His Ballotpedia Candidate Connection answers, submitted March 6, 2026: three key messages on the farm program, Medicare for all Americans and First Amendment rights; "I am standing as a Libertarian in this election although I was a life long Democrat until two years ago." Nothing on foreign policy.
[Read 2026-10-08] His campaign site sets out six priorities: agricultural parity pricing, Medicare for All, constitutional due process, breaking up agricultural monopolies, lower taxes and less waste, and individual liberty.
The race
[Read 2026-10-08] Ballotpedia: "Incumbent Mike Flood (R), Christopher Backemeyer (D), Dan Hartong (America First Party Nebraska), and Nik Sandman (L) are running in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on November 3, 2026." The Lincoln Journal Star's guide describes him as Libertarian Nik Sandman of Lincoln, 78, a retired rural mail carrier and farmer.
Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them
The Facebook page Ballotpedia lists as his: https://www.facebook.com/Confession.1580.radio/
His LinkedIn page, as listed by Ballotpedia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nik-sandman-95312735/
Not on the card, and why
The blank iVoterGuide entry: guide coverage, not a position.
His site's comparisons with his Republican opponent's record: claims about another candidate.
His platform on farm prices, health care, civil liberties and immigration: out of scope.
Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)
https://journalstar.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/elections/collection_3fa9849e-c09e-4b78-9bb0-965971cd897c.html; opened (the same guide; its answer text is encoded for subscribers); 2026-10-08
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.