But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Amy Acton
Democrat · Governor, Ohio
–No Position Found
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.
No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.
Acton is running on a platform of Ohio issues that does not mention the conflict. We found nothing from her, as a candidate or as director of the Ohio Department of Health, on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians.
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Acton, a physician who grew up in Youngstown, was appointed director of the Ohio Department of Health by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019 and led the state's early response to COVID-19 before she resigned in June 2020. She is the Democratic nominee for governor and faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Libertarian Don Kissick on November 3. Her issues page covers costs, corruption, education, health care, jobs, workers, community safety, reproductive freedom, energy, data centers, property taxes, agriculture, rural communities and veterans. Foreign policy is not on it.
She is Jewish. Jewish Insider, profiling her campaign in January 2026, reported that the protests at her Bexley home in 2020 included a handful of antisemitic signs. She told the outlet: "My Jewish roots in tikkun olam have been a guiding force throughout my career as a public servant and instilled in me the belief that everyone deserves the same chance to get ahead that I had."
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which describes its mission as being "the political home and voice of Jewish voters" and supporting Democrats, lists her among its endorsed candidates. Its endorsement page says: "Acton has pledged that as Ohio’s first Jewish governor, she would stand up to white nationalism and extremism, strengthen antisemitism education, and invest in programs to counter violent radicalization." That is the council's account, and it says nothing about U.S. weapons or money. No statement of hers to that effect was found.
We found no statement from her on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, on U.S. aid to Palestinians, or on the war in Gaza. You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Acton directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in her own words.
In their words
Endorsements
Jewish Democratic Council of America (2026)
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 2026-09-25 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, platform line or interview answer by Amy Acton on U.S. military aid or weapons for the government of Israel.
[Position, read 2026-09-25] Her campaign issues page lists eighteen issues: reducing costs for Ohio families, cleaning up corruption, education, the cost of health care, jobs and businesses, workers, safer communities, reproductive freedom, aging in place, her affordability agenda, consumers, Ohio's LGBT community, energy costs, data centers, property tax relief, agriculture, rural communities, and veterans and military personnel. Each of the eighteen issue pages was read, along with her homepage, biography page, agenda page, affordability agenda, endorsements page and news page. None of them mentions Israel, Gaza, Palestinians, foreign aid or foreign policy.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located on UNRWA, Gaza humanitarian funding or the aid pipeline.
Characterization of the conflict
Nothing located: no statement by her characterizing the conflict or the war in Gaza was found on her campaign site, in her interviews or in news coverage of her campaign.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
[Position, read 2026-09-25] The Jewish Democratic Council of America lists her among its endorsed candidates, under the heading "Amy Acton (OH-Gov)" (endorsement page). It describes its mission as being "the political home and voice of Jewish voters, advocating for policies, and supporting Democrats who share our core values" (about page). The page does not date the endorsement. Her own campaign's endorsements page lists labor unions, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, EMILYs List, 314 Action Fund and others, and does not list the council.
[Position, read 2026-09-25] Ballotpedia's list of endorsements for her includes voter groups organized by users of the Sway platform, two of them named "Stop arming Israel" and "Reject AIPAC from City Council to Congress" (Ballotpedia). These are third parties recommending her; neither listing carries any statement from her.
No statement from her on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, other lobbying organizations or Ohio's anti-boycott law was found.
Safety and antisemitism (context, not a position on what America sends)
[Position, 2026-01-16] Jewish Insider's profile of her campaign reports that protesters regularly picketed her home in the Columbus suburb of Bexley in 2020, "mostly people unhappy with pandemic-related restrictions, although the demonstrations also included a Proud Boys activist and a handful of antisemitic signs." She told the outlet: "My Jewish roots in tikkun olam have been a guiding force throughout my career as a public servant and instilled in me the belief that everyone deserves the same chance to get ahead that I had." The same profile says she has served on the boards of the Columbus JCC, Columbus Jewish Day School and Congregation Beth Tikvah (Jewish Insider).
[Position, read 2026-09-25; the council's account, not her own words] The Jewish Democratic Council of America's endorsement page says: "Acton has pledged that as Ohio’s first Jewish governor, she would stand up to white nationalism and extremism, strengthen antisemitism education, and invest in programs to counter violent radicalization." The page does not say when or where she made this pledge, and no statement of hers to that effect was found on her campaign site or in news coverage (endorsement page).
[Position, 2026-09-06] The Guardian reported that an armed man lunged at her during a campaign stop at the Canfield fair in Mahoning County, injuring several people; she was not hurt. Her campaign's communications director said: "This kind of violence has no place in Ohio." Nothing in the report connects the attack to the conflict or to antisemitism (the Guardian).
[Earlier record, 2021-04-06; reported 2021-04-07] Announcing that she would not run for the U.S. Senate, she said in a statement: "I know many of us are tired of the vitriol and hate" (Jerusalem Post).
[Earlier record, 2020-06-17] The Washington Post reported that she "endured public criticism and harassment — including anti-Semitism — as she worked on the state’s coronavirus response", and that on May 2, 2020 protesters walked her neighborhood carrying guns (the Washington Post).
[Earlier record, 2020-06-16] The Times of Israel, carrying a JTA report on her resignation, reported that armed protesters carried signs with anti-Semitic messages and that she had been called a "globalist", which it described as a veiled anti-Semitic slur (the Times of Israel). The Forward carried the same JTA report (the Forward, 2020-06-15).
[Earlier record, 2020-06-12] The Guardian reported: "Some demonstrations at the statehouse featured signs bearing antisemitic messages. Acton is Jewish, and one lawmaker referenced her with an antisemitic slur." (the Guardian).
[Earlier record, 2020-05-08] The Forward reported that the Ohio House had passed a bill limiting her powers, and that "A Republican state representative called Acton a “globalist,” which invokes anti-Semitic stereotypes." (the Forward).
Earlier finding, preserved
Checked 2026-07-18: "checked campaign site and news; no stance found on sending weapons/money to Israel." That check pointed at a search-results page rather than a fixed page, so it is recorded without a link.
Not on the card, and why
The Jewish Democratic Council of America's account of her pledge: a third party's report of a statement not found in her own words. It is in the deep dive, attributed to the council, and not on the front; it is not a position on U.S. weapons or money.
The Sway voter groups listed on Ballotpedia: third parties recommending her, with no statement of hers; research page only.
The 2020 harassment reports and her 2021 statement: earlier record and context. The 2020 protests appear in the deep dive only as Jewish Insider's 2026 account.
The September 2026 attack at the Canfield fair: political violence with no stated connection to the conflict or to antisemitism; research page only.
The card leads with her platform, not with the federal question, because a governor's office does not decide U.S. weapons or money; the federal sentence closes the front.
Sources retrieved for this card (URL, HTTP status, date read)
https://actonforgovernor.com/issues/ (200, 2026-09-25; the footer lists info@actonforgovernor.com and press@actonforgovernor.com)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/06/amy-acton-ohio-governor-candidate-attack (200, 2026-09-25; published 2026-09-06)
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/amy-acton-who-faced-antisemitic-backlash-wont-run-for-senate-664349 (200, 2026-09-25; published 2021-04-07)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/female-public-health-officials-say-they-are-shocked-by-the-harassment-they-face-over-coronavirus-response/ (opened 2026-09-25; published 2020-06-17)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-ohio-health-official-resigns-after-anti-semitic-backlash-to-virus-orders/ (opened 2026-09-25; dated 16 June 2020 on the page)
https://forward.com/fast-forward/448799/ohio-s-jewish-health-department-director-who-faced-an-anti-semitic/ (200, 2026-09-25; published 2020-06-15)
https://forward.com/fast-forward/445958/ohio-lawmakers-aim-to-limit-reach-of-health-department-director-whose/ (200, 2026-09-25; published 2020-05-08)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/dr-amy-acton-resigns-after-helping-lead-ohio-aggressive-fight-against-coronavirus (200, 2026-09-25; published 2020-06-12)
https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-governor-ohio-democrats-amy-acton-1c3c315b8534d3ac677fce3f77abca56 (opened 2026-09-25; published 2025-01-07; her campaign launch, with nothing on the subject)
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Boker-Tov--Dr--Amy-Acton-joins-2026-Ohio-governor-s-race.html?soid=1122476216248&aid=wMYTIGYYnAA (200, 2026-09-25; a Columbus Jewish News newsletter of 2025-01-08 linking a report of her campaign launch, with nothing from her on the subject)
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.
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