But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Justin Murphy
Nothing in this record shows Murphy taking a position on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on aid to Palestinians. On a candidate questionnaire he called the U.S.-Israel relationship important and praised the two countries' military and economic cooperation.
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You asked Justin Murphy where they stand.
Deep Dive
Murphy is a Navy veteran and attorney from Tabernacle and the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey. He holds no federal office, so none of the congressional votes this site tracks are his.
He answered a conservative voter guide's questionnaire during the primary, and he answered it fully, section by section, which is what makes his answer here worth reading rather than a blank. Asked whether the United States' relationship with Israel is important and why, he wrote yes and gave his reasons: the 1948 recognition of the state, and that "The military, technological, diplomatic, and economic cooperation between Israel and the USA serves a foundation of stability in the middle east." He added that American interests in the region are well served by having a stable democratic ally there.
That is a statement about an alliance. It is not a position on what the United States ships or funds. His published campaign platform, set out at length in February 2026, reaches the subject only through counter-terrorism and a call for a military able to fight two wars at once; it names no aid, no arms sale and no condition. At the one Republican primary debate in May 2026 the field was asked about the Middle East, and what he is reported saying is that he would continue to support the president's efforts there and would want congressional approval before further moves, which is about Iran and about war powers rather than about what is sent to the government of Israel.
So the absence here is specific and it survives the search. His questionnaire answer also carries no date; the guide does not record when he wrote it. If you want to know what he would do about U.S. weapons and money for the government of Israel, you are better placed to get an answer than we are: ask Murphy directly and send us the reply. It goes on this page in his own words.
The record
• June 2, 2026 - Won the New Jersey Republican U.S. Senate primary with about 33% of the vote, defeating Robert Lebovics, Richard Tabor and Alex Zdan despite minimal campaign funds, earning the right to challenge Democratic incumbent Cory Booker in November 2026.
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: As of July 2026 his voter-guide answer says the military, technological, diplomatic and economic "cooperation between Israel and the USA serves a foundation of stability in the middle east", 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.
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
In their words
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, undated; read 2026-07-24] Answer to "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?" on his iVoterGuide questionnaire, read and verified verbatim: "Yes. America's recognition of the Israeli nation-state in 1948 established a moral recognition for a Jewish homeland after WWII/Holocaust. The military, technological, diplomatic, and economic cooperation between Israel and the USA serves a foundation of stability in the middle east. American interests in the middle east are well-served by having Israel as a stable democratic country in the middle east. America needs allies in the middle east to counter hostile threats to American interests." No date for the answer is stated anywhere on the page, which is why there is no quote entry for it. It does not address arms sales, aid or conditioning.
⚠ **Questionnaire test satisfied.** He answered across the whole form, on abortion, tax, health care, China, immigration and education, so his answer on this question is his and not an artefact of the guide's coverage.
- [Position, 2026-05-28] At the sole New Jersey Republican Senate primary debate, Patch's account reports that he and another candidate "said they would continue to support Trump's efforts in the Middle East, and that they would support congressional approval before further moves are made to that regard." That is the reporter's summary and it concerns Iran and war powers, not U.S. aid or arms to the government of Israel. Four candidates appear on the page; only sentences naming Murphy are used.
- [Position, 2026-07-24] Negative search recorded in this record: his campaign site jerseyjustin4senate.org, federal filings and news coverage returned no statement on U.S. arms sales to the government of Israel, on conditioning aid, on Gaza, on the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, or on boycotts. A fresh search on 2026-08-18 found the two items above and nothing further.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located, in any band.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2026-02-04] His campaign platform, published in full by InsiderNJ and verified verbatim: "America's military should remain second-to-none. As we were made painfully aware on October 7th, 2023, radical Islamic terrorism is still a threat to civilized nations. America faces an array of hostile foreign threats: Communist government of China, Iran, and North Korea." Not on the card summary: the sentence turns on a reaction-window date, which card text does not carry in any form. The platform is position-band material and the rest of it says nothing on this subject.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- Nothing located. No endorsement from any tracked advocacy group is recorded and no funding from any tracked committee appears on this record.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- Nothing located. His platform's language on terrorism and national defence is general and names no domestic antisemitism measure.
Race and status context
- Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey, having won the June 2026 primary in a four-way field, and challenging the Democratic incumbent, per WHYY's primary report and the race page. A Navy veteran, an attorney, and a former Tabernacle Township committeeman.
- He did not serve in Congress during any of the ten tracked votes.
- A positions-aggregating site carries a page for him. It is on our list of sites we never use, and its address returned a rate-limit error besides. Nothing here comes from it.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Cory Booker (Democrat)
- ✓Opposes Veronica Fernandez (Independent)
- ✗Supports Joanne Kuniansky (Other)
All New Jersey candidates.
See everyone on the New Jersey 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.