But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Sherrod Brown
Brown, seeking a Senate comeback, backed military aid to the government of Israel and voted against the 2024 attempts to block arms transfers. In September 2024 his spokesperson said he wanted "a ceasefire that ends the war, frees the hostages, and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people."
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You asked Sherrod Brown where they stand.
Deep Dive
Brown, Ohio's Democratic senator until January 2025, is running for the state's other Senate seat against appointed Sen. Jon Husted. His Senate record from the war years is prior conduct in office, and it is consistent: he voted for the April 2024 supplemental that funded military aid to the government of Israel alongside humanitarian aid for Gaza, and in November 2024 voted against all three resolutions that would have blocked specific arms transfers (S.J.Res. 111, S.J.Res. 113, S.J.Res. 115).
His stated position dates from his 2024 race. In September 2024, two months before those votes, his spokesperson, Kevin Donohue, told Jewish Insider that Brown "strongly believes that Israel has a clear and undeniable right to defend itself against Hamas’ brutal terrorism and voted to send military aid to Israel, along with much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza," and that Israel and Hamas "must agree to a ceasefire that ends the war, frees the hostages, and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people." Jewish Insider repeated the statement in August 2025 when it reported his comeback bid. Both directions are named in those words: military aid to the government of Israel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza and the Palestinian people.
His longer record runs the same way with an independent streak. In May 2020 he was one of 18 Senate Democrats who signed a letter opposing West Bank annexation. In 2022 he rejected the notion that supporting Israel conflicts with progressive values. Speaking to the Zionist Organization of America in 2017, he said "I will always stand strong on Israel" while scolding the hosts over intolerance at home. JStreetPAC, the political action committee of J Street, an advocacy group that calls its values pro-Israel and pro-peace, has endorsed him and lists his race as a priority. Jewish Insider frames his comeback as a test of a pro-Israel progressive in a party moving the other way.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 4 tracked votes
• Voted Yea (April 23, 2024) on the motion to concur in the House amendment to H.R. 815, the national security supplemental, which included U.S. military aid to Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian assistance for Gaza (agreed to 79-18).
• Voted Nay (November 20, 2024) on S.J.Res. 111, S.J.Res. 113, and S.J.Res. 115, three Sanders-led joint resolutions seeking congressional disapproval of proposed U.S. arms sales and defense exports to Israel; all three motions to discharge were rejected.
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.
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Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 4 of 4 tracked votes.)
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found
In their words
JStreetPAC (2026) · Peace Action (2026 endorsement)
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, 2024-09-30] Statement by his spokesperson, Kevin Donohue, to Jewish Insider in September 2024, while Sanders' resolutions to block arms sales were pending; Jewish Insider repeated it on 2025-08-12: Brown "strongly believes that Israel has a clear and undeniable right to defend itself against Hamas’ brutal terrorism and voted to send military aid to Israel, along with much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza." The same report quoted the spokesperson saying he "is reviewing the resolution but has some concerns about Senator Sanders’ approach."
- [Position, 2024] As senator: Yea on the 2024-04-23 national security supplemental (military aid to Israel and Ukraine, humanitarian aid for Gaza); Nay on all three 2024-11-20 resolutions to block arms transfers (S.J.Res. 111, S.J.Res. 113, S.J.Res. 115).
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-11] Statement: "Congress's priority right now must be providing robust military, economic, and humanitarian aid to support Israel..." (Banking Committee release; existing record quote). Not on the card summary.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2024-09-30] The spokesperson's ceasefire sentence (Jewish Insider): "Ultimately, Senator Brown believes that Israel and Hamas must agree to a ceasefire that ends the war, frees the hostages, and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people." Direction named: more humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Reaction window, 2023-10-10] "Israel has the right to exist and the right to self-defense"; "horrifying acts of terrorism" (Banking release). Not on the card summary.
- [Prior, 2014-07-28] "Israel has a right and an obligation to defend its people against indiscriminate rocket attacks..." (per the existing record).
- [Position, undated] Longstanding support for a negotiated two-state solution.
- [Position, 2024-05-02] On campus protests: remarks distinguishing lawful protest from violence (WOUB).
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Prior, 2017-06-06] ZOA conference: "I will always stand strong on Israel... But I also find it's my duty to speak out when I see what's more and more common in my country" (Forward).
- [Prior, 2020-05-21] One of 18 Senate Democrats, led by Sens. Murphy, Kaine and Van Hollen, who signed a letter to Israeli leaders opposing unilateral West Bank annexation (Sen. Murphy's release, which lists him; also on J Street's letter page; multi-signatory).
- [Prior, 2022-09-28] Rejected Rep. Tlaib's framing that supporting Israel conflicts with progressive values (Jewish Insider).
- [Position, 2026-09-25] JStreetPAC, J Street's political action committee, lists him as endorsed and his race as a priority (JStreetPAC candidate page). Its page says: "Senator Brown was one of the strongest champions in the Senate, strongly aligned with our pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy values. We're excited to support him in one of the country's most important races."
- Community context pages (Jewish Cincinnati, Jewish Cleveland, and an American Jewish Congress guide page that no longer opens) are directories, not sources for claims.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2017-06-06] The ZOA speech above doubles as his fullest statement here.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Jon Husted (Republican)
- –No Position Found Stephen Faris (write-in) (Independent)
- ✓Opposes Greg Levy (Independent)
- ?Mixed William B. Redpath (Libertarian)
All Ohio candidates.
See everyone on the Ohio 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.