But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Marcy Kaptur
Kaptur called for a UN-negotiated truce rather than a ceasefire alone: "This war must end. A 'ceasefire' is not enough. There must be a UN negotiated truce subject to multinational enforcement."
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You asked Marcy Kaptur where they stand.
Deep Dive
Kaptur has represented Ohio's 9th District since 1983 and is the longest-serving woman in the history of the House.
Her September 2024 statement on the escalation with Hezbollah is the clearest thing on her record, and it asks for something more specific than most: "This weekend's escalation in combat between Israel and 140,000 Hezbollah forces supported in southern Lebanon by Iran creates a powder keg. If not contained, this conflict could widen and adversely impact thousands more innocent people of adjacent nations, as well as destabilize global markets." Then: "This war must end. A 'ceasefire' is not enough. There must be a UN negotiated truce subject to multinational enforcement."
She grounded it in who she represents: "The constituents I represent include thousands who trace their ancestry to Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian communities, and other impacted adjacent nations across the Middle East. I release this statement out of deep concern for them and the people of their ancestral lands."
In February 2024 she welcomed the Senate's advance of the security supplemental, noting that it carried security assistance for partners including Israel alongside international humanitarian aid.
In May and July 2024 she pressed for a lasting truce, hostage release and urgent humanitarian assistance for Gazans facing starvation, and restated a two-state solution as the only viable path. She criticised Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to Congress in July 2024 as "overwrought."
Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card and are not uniform.
The record
Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes
House Committee on Appropriations
• Voted No on first Israel aid bill (Nov 2023), switched to Yes on $26.38B package (April 2024), then voted No on H.R. 8369 bomb delivery bill (May 2024). Longest-serving woman in House history. ~$5.5K in lobby-aligned PAC contributions.
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 some, but no more than half, of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 3 of 6 tracked votes.)
The money
$6K career from tracked lobby sources
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, 2024-09-23] Her statement on the war in Gaza and the escalation with Hezbollah, opened and confirmed word for word: "This weekend's escalation in combat between Israel and 140,000 Hezbollah forces supported in southern Lebanon by Iran creates a powder keg. If not contained, this conflict could widen and adversely impact thousands more innocent people of adjacent nations, as well as destabilize global markets." And: "This war must end. A 'ceasefire' is not enough. There must be a UN negotiated truce subject to multinational enforcement." And: "The constituents I represent include thousands who trace their ancestry to Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian communities, and other impacted adjacent nations across the Middle East. I release this statement out of deep concern for them and the people of their ancestral lands."
Note this is a position about how the war should end rather than about what the United States should send. It is the strongest located statement on her record and the card presents it as what it is.
- [Position, 2024-02-08] Statement on the Senate's advancement of the security supplemental, as reported: praised the advance and highlighted its inclusion of security assistance for partners such as Israel alongside international humanitarian aid. Opened; the specific framing above is the research's summary and no quotation is drawn from it here.
- No statement located in which she addresses conditioning, withholding or increasing specific U.S. transfers to Israel in those terms. Her recorded votes appear as badges on this card and are not uniform.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2024-05-06] Statement on developments in Gaza, as reported: urged a lasting truce, immediate release of hostages, and urgent humanitarian assistance for Gazans facing starvation, restating a commitment to a two-state solution. Not opened.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2024-09-23] The "powder keg" framing and the concern for people of adjacent nations (confirmed verbatim, above).
- [Position, 2024-07-26] In a video, as reported, described the war as having cost tens of thousands of lives and said the only viable path is a negotiated two-state solution respecting the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians (Sandusky Register coverage). Not opened.
- [Position, 2025-01-17 and 2025-10-13] Statement on the hostage release and ceasefire agreement and a later statement on the agreement. Not opened.
- [After October 7, 2023-10-08] Statement on the attacks expressing horror at the "brutality of Hamas terrorists attacking innocent Israeli civilians" and pointing to "Iranian strategy and technology" behind them. From the weeks right after October 7; not used on the card.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Position, 2024-07-26, reported] Criticised Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress as "overwrought," saying he offered no clear path to end the conflict. Source is the video and the Sandusky Register piece; not opened.
- ⚠ The research returned a Jewish Insider TAG page for "secretary-of-state". That is a listing page across many articles and cannot support a claim about anyone; nothing is drawn from it.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [Prior, 2022-06-29] Joined 92 members in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary seeking a strategy to counter domestic antisemitism and secure Jewish institutions. Prior band, group letter, safety context.
- [Position, 2024-11-21] Led an Ohio House Democrats statement with Rep. Beatty condemning a neo-Nazi demonstration. A group statement; safety context.
- [Undated] A Holocaust education bill (Rep. Gottheimer's release, the bill text). Another member's release for a bipartisan bill; safety context.
⚠ Other people's material among the sources
- A Facebook post from Rep. David Kustoff marking the October 7 anniversary, and a page on Scott Peters's campaign site, were both returned among her sources. Neither is about this member and nothing from either is used.
Also in this race
- ✗Supports Derek Merrin (Republican)
All Ohio candidates.
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