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

Joe Lombardo

Republican · Governor, Nevada
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Lombardo signed Nevada's 2025 law defining antisemitism and in December 2025 announced an antisemitism working group. In August 2026 he told a Republican Jewish Coalition summit he had promoted policies to protect Jewish Nevadans. We found no statement from him on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel.

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Deep Dive

Lombardo, Nevada's incumbent Republican governor and former Clark County sheriff, is running for re-election against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford and independent Danielle Ford.

The record we found is state action and statements of solidarity. In April 2025 he signed a bill making January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Nevada. Later that year he signed SB179, Nevada's antisemitism-definition law, which an Israeli-American advocacy group called precedent-setting. In December 2025 his office announced actions to protect Nevada's Jewish community, including a statewide antisemitism working group, which held its first meeting with him in January 2026. In February 2026, amid the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, he said police presence could increase at certain locations in Nevada. In May 2026 he joined the Republican governors' statement for Jewish American Heritage Month, which called for “a lasting peace to the ongoing conflict.”

On August 31, 2026 he spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Leadership Summit in Las Vegas. The Review-Journal notes that the coalition describes itself as an advocacy group that aims to “foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision-makers.” He told the summit he had promoted policies to honor and protect Jewish Nevadans, pointed to the antisemitism-definition law and the Holocaust Remembrance Day law, and said: “As long as I’m in office, I remain committed to ensuring Nevada can live, worship, and raise its families safely.”

In August 2026 his communications director told JNS that “the governor’s office was not consulted before Attorney General Ford joined the brief”, a filing by 20 states and the District of Columbia that backed Harvard against the federal move to strip its funding over its response to antisemitism on campus.

On the federal question, whether the United States should send, condition or withhold weapons and money for the government of Israel, we found no statement from him.

The record

Notable actions

• As Governor, Lombardo ordered U.S. and Nevada flags lowered to half-staff at the State Capitol and all state buildings (Oct. 10-14, 2023) and had the Nevada State Capitol lit blue to honor victims of the October 2023 attacks in Israel, and delivered remarks at a Temple Beth Sholom solidarity event alongside U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen.

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: In a February 2026 statement about the U.S. attack on Iran he says Iran "has long been a threat to the United States, Israel and any hope of peace", 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.

In their words

“Iran has long been a threat to the United States, Israel and any hope of peace in the Middle East. They must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Source ↗, 2026-02-28
“As long as I’m in office, I remain committed to ensuring Nevada can live, worship, and raise its families safely”
Source ↗, 2026-08-31
“This committee will help our state identify and fight antisemitism of all forms so that we can build a stronger, safer state together”
Source ↗, 2026-01-31

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

Every page cited below was opened and read on 2026-09-28 unless marked otherwise. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated.

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • Nothing located: no statement, executive action or questionnaire answer by Lombardo on U.S. military aid or weapons for the government of Israel, at any date. The September 2026 research covered his governor's office newsroom (all 272 releases from January 2023 to September 2026), his campaign sites, Ballotpedia, the Nevada Independent's candidate guides and news coverage through September 25, 2026.
  • The October 2023 governors' letter (below, under U.S. aid to Palestinians) asked for "unequivocal support to Israel"; it names no weapons or funding.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • [Reaction window, 2023-10-13] He was among the Republican governors, led by Florida's governor, who signed a letter to President Biden after the Hamas attacks, as reported by the Nevada Globe, which reproduces the letter. The letter asks the President to "provide unequivocal support to Israel" and to cut off U.S. foreign aid to territories controlled by Hamas or Hezbollah. Multi-signatory. The aid demand names a direction (against U.S. aid reaching those territories); it is recorded here so it cannot be read as a position on weapons for the government of Israel. Not on the card summary.
  • Nothing else located, at any date, on UNRWA, Gaza humanitarian funding or the aid pipeline.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Reaction window, 2023-10-09] His statement in the governor's office release, also carried by Carson Now: "My prayers are with Israel and the Israeli families suffering from Hamas’ unprovoked terrorist attacks today. These attacks are abhorrent, and Israel has a right to defend itself. Today — and every day — the United States and the American people stand with Israel." The same release ordered flags to half-staff from October 10 to 14 and had the Capitol lit blue (flag directive). Not on the card summary.
  • [Reaction window, 2023-10-10] At a Temple Beth Sholom solidarity event in Las Vegas, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun: "As your governor, I fully support Israel, and I will always fight to ensure the safety and security of Jewish Nevadans." Not on the card summary.
  • [Position, 2025-10-07, reported; source could not be opened] Second-anniversary post: "one of the darkest acts of terror in modern history"; "Nevada stands with Israel". The posts reporting it could not be opened, and no page carrying the words was found in September 2026. Reported, not confirmed.
  • [Position, 2026-05-11] The Republican governors' unanimous Jewish American Heritage Month statement (RGA, CAM coverage): "We continue to stand with the Nation of Israel, as America has for almost 80 years, and renew our resolve for a lasting peace to the ongoing conflict." The RGA page lists "Governor Joe Lombardo (NV)" among the signatories. Multi-signatory; nothing individual attributed.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, 2026-08-31] Spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Leadership Summit in Las Vegas. The Review-Journal reported that he said he had promoted policies to honor and protect Jewish Nevadans; that he called the coalition "a powerful voice for the principles that strengthen our nation: strong leadership, economic freedom, and that belief that government exists to serve its people"; that he noted he signed a bill giving antisemitism an official definition used in discrimination investigations, and that the state had enshrined its version of International Holocaust Remembrance Day into law; and that he said: "As long as I’m in office, I remain committed to ensuring Nevada can live, worship, and raise its families safely." The report quotes nothing from him on U.S. weapons or money. The Review-Journal notes that the coalition describes itself as an advocacy group that aims to "foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision-makers."
  • [Position, 2026-08-11] His communications director, Drew Galang, told JNS that "the governor’s office was not consulted before Attorney General Ford joined the brief". The brief, filed by 20 states and the District of Columbia, supports Harvard against the federal effort to strip its funding over its response to antisemitism on campus. A JNS opinion column on the race (Kerstein) is opinion, context only.

The war with Iran (context; not what the United States sends the government of Israel)

  • [Position, 2025-06-21, reported; source could not be opened] Backed U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure (a social post that could not be opened).
  • [Position, 2026-02-28] His statement on X, quoted by FOX5: "Iran has long been a threat to the United States, Israel and any hope of peace in the Middle East. They must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon," and "As all options for diplomacy have been rejected by Iran, I pray for the safety of our U.S. Service Members, our allied troops, and for a swift resolution following Operation Epic Fury."
  • [Position, 2026-05-20] In an interview with 2 News Nevada, which reported that he had supported the war after the first strikes on Iran, he said: "I'm not as supportive of the longevity," and "I think there's a need to come to a solution sooner rather than later. And remember what I said earlier, I don't know all the nuances." Earlier in the same interview, on the President's policies: "I don't know all the nuances of foreign policy associated with that and the tariffs and how it directly affects Nevada, but me as the governor of the state of Nevada, I'm concerned about Nevada."

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • [Position, 2025-04-24] KOLO reported that he had signed SB96, designating January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Nevada, "flanked by Holocaust survivors".
  • [Position, 2025-06-05] Nevada's SB179 antisemitism-definition law, which adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition for state civil-rights investigations, called a new precedent by the Israeli-American Civic Action Network, an advocacy group (ICAN, written while the bill awaited his signature); he signed it.
  • [Position, 2025-12-18] Office release: steps to protect Nevada's Jewish community after antisemitic attacks abroad, urging heightened vigilance and coordination among law enforcement agencies and convening a statewide Antisemitism Working Group, with recommendations due by April 15, 2026. His words in the release: "Nevada is home to a diverse and vibrant Jewish community, and like all communities, they have the right to gather, worship, and celebrate without fear." Also reported by the Review-Journal.
  • [Position, 2026-01-31] FOX5 reported the working group's first meeting with him in Las Vegas and quoted his post on X: "This committee will help our state identify and fight antisemitism of all forms so that we can build a stronger, safer state together."
  • [Position, 2026-02-28] Said increased police presence may be seen at certain locations amid the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran; the statement did not name the locations (Review-Journal).
  • [Position, 2026-05-17] A guest opinion column in the Review-Journal (Alan Stock) credits him with creating the working group and says the group "did come up with a few suggestions" and that members suggested an ongoing task force. A third party's account; the recommendations themselves were not found published.

What the campaign site and own pages say

  • [Position, read 2026-09-28] His campaign site (home, about, results, press releases, listed through September 3, 2026) and its companion pages (endorsements, coalitions, vision) carry nothing on Israel, Gaza, Palestinians, foreign aid, antisemitism or Jewish Nevadans.
  • [Read 2026-09-28] His governor's office newsroom lists 272 releases from January 2023 to September 25, 2026. Two concern this subject: the October 9, 2023 release and the December 18, 2025 release, both above.
  • [Read 2026-09-28] Ballotpedia: he has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

The race

  • Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford and independent Danielle Ford are also on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
  • [Position, 2026-08-06] The Nevada Independent's guide to where the candidates stand put ten questions to both major candidates (right to work, data centers, school funding, third-grade retention, property tax, voter ID, abortion, corporate home buying, the felony theft threshold and the death penalty). None concerns Israel, Gaza or foreign policy. Its general-election guide has no issue answers for the governor's race.
  • [Position, 2026-09-25] No debate between Lombardo and Aaron Ford had taken place. The Review-Journal reported that Aaron Ford had accepted debates set for October 8 and October 13, that Lombardo's campaign said he would not take part in those two, and that he had accepted an invitation to debate on Alan Stock's radio show. Aaron Ford first proposed three debates in June (FOX5).

Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them

  • His X account, https://x.com/JoeLombardoNV: could not be read on 2026-09-28.
  • His campaign Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/JoeLombardoNV/: showed only its header to a signed-out reader on 2026-09-28; no posts could be read.
  • The second-anniversary post (October 2025) and the June 2025 post on strikes against Iran: no page carrying either could be opened.
  • The old address of the October 2023 release, https://gov.nv.gov/Newsroom/PRs/2023/2023-10-09_honor-victims-of-terror-attachs-Israel/, returns "Not Found"; the same release is live at its new address, cited above.
  • A July 2026 letter from him on the federal budget bill that carried new money for the war with Iran, posted at https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019f-ae5e-d975-a1ff-bedf5c6a0000, could not be opened on 2026-09-28. Nothing is claimed from it; it concerns the war with Iran, not U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel.

Not on the card, and why

  • His October 2023 statement, his Temple Beth Sholom remarks and the governors' October 2023 letter: dated October 2023, research page only.
  • The second-anniversary post (2025) and the June 2025 Iran-strikes post: each is reported only, and the pages carrying them could not be opened, so neither is stated as fact on the card.
  • His statements on the war with Iran (February and May 2026): about Iran, not about U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel; research page only. The February 2026 police-presence remark stays in the deep dive as a safety measure at home.
  • The Republican governors' May 2026 statement: a joint statement; in the deep dive as a joint statement, not on the front.
  • The JNS opinion column and the Review-Journal guest column on the working group: third parties speaking about him; research page only.

Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)

  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/what-bills-have-gov-lombardo-signed-into-law-3380102/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.gov.nv.gov/press-releases/governor-lombardo-takes-action-to-protect-nevadas-jewish-community-urges-heightened-law-enforcement-vigilance-amid-global-antisemitic-attacks/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.gov.nv.gov/press-releases/governor-lombardo-lowers-flags-to-half-staff-lights-capitol-blue-to-honor-victims-of-terror-attacks-in-israel/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.gov.nv.gov/press-releases/ (opened 2026-09-28, all 28 listing pages)
  • https://gov.nv.gov/Newsroom/PRs/2023/2023-10-09_honor-victims-of-terror-attachs-Israel/ (could not open: Not Found, 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/republicans-tout-u-s-israel-ties-at-las-vegas-summit-vp-vance-to-give-speech-3872802/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://icanaction.org/briefings/nevada-sets-new-precedent-in-fight-against-antisemitism-with-sb179-backed-by-icans-support/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/lombardo-says-certain-locations-could-see-increased-police-presence-amid-strikes-on-iran-3713235/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.rga.org/statement-republican-governors-support-jewish-american-heritage-month/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://combatantisemitism.org/cam-news/in-unanimous-jewish-american-heritage-month-statement-republican-governors-denounce-rising-antisemitism-reiterate-solidarity-with-israel/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/scoop-nevada-governor-tells-jns-he-wasnt-asked-before-state-added-to-friend-of-court-brief-defending-harvard-against-federal-charges-of-being-lax-on-jew-hatred (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/benjamin-kerstein/antisemitic-electioneering-always-works (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/02/28/governor-joe-lombardo-addresses-us-attack-iran/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://thenevadaglobe.com/articles/governor-lombardo-pledges-steadfast-support-to-israel/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.carsonnow.org/10/09/2023/lombardo-lowers-flags-half-staff-lights-nevada-capitol-blue-honor-victims-terror-at (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://lasvegassun.com/news/2023/oct/10/las-vegas-organizations-rally-behind-israel-raise/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://flagsexpress.com/flags-half-staff/nevada/october-10-2023/Israel/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.kolotv.com/2025/04/24/lombardo-signs-bill-designating-jan-27-holocaust-remembrance-day-nevada/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/01/31/nevada-antisemitism-working-group-aims-combat-hate-boost-education/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/nevada-boosts-security-for-jewish-community-after-australia-attack-3597508/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/nevada-views-combatting-the-rise-in-antisemitism-3825355/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.2news.com/news/exclusive-sit-down-interview-with-governor-lombardo/article_b02f6267-77ef-430c-9b77-f957e7ca25bd.html (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/will-nevadans-see-a-lombardo-ford-debate-3891178/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/from-abortion-to-taxes-where-nevadas-2026-governor-candidates-stand-on-the-issues (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://thenevadaindependent.com/elections/2026/general (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://ballotpedia.org/Joe_Lombardo (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.joelombardofornv.com/, https://www.joelombardofornv.com/about, https://www.joelombardofornv.com/results, https://www.joelombardofornv.com/press-releases (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.endorse.joelombardofornv.com/, https://www.endorse.joelombardofornv.com/coalitions/, https://www.endorse.joelombardofornv.com/vision/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://x.com/JoeLombardoNV (could not open, 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.facebook.com/JoeLombardoNV/ (opened; no posts readable, 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/06/17/ford-challenges-lombardo-debates/ (opened 2026-09-28)
  • https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019f-ae5e-d975-a1ff-bedf5c6a0000 (could not open, 2026-09-28)

Also in this race

  1. – Aaron Ford (Democrat)
  2. – Danielle Ford (Other)

All Nevada candidates.

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.