But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
James Hayes
Republican · U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12
?Mixed
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.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: In an October 2024 newspaper article he says of Israel "I think it's strategically important, I support them and their efforts" and criticizes his opponent's remarks about Israel, 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.
Hayes told TribLIVE that U.S. support for Israel is "strategically important, I support them and their efforts," calling Israel "one of our best allies in the world." He is running against Rep. Summer Lee.
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Hayes is the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th District, running against Rep. Summer Lee, whose position is the opposite of his on every part of this question.
His clearest statement is to TribLIVE in October 2024: "I think they're one of our best allies in the world — a thriving democracy in the Middle East." He also said: "I think it's strategically important, I support them and their efforts, and my opponent has made remarks which are at odds with Israel's safety and security."
In July 2024, after Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to Congress, he said the United States must continue to support Israel in its fight against Hamas and to bring the hostages home, and described Israel as the United States' strongest ally in the Middle East and perhaps the world. In May 2024 he said he absolutely supports Israel and opposed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, citing Israeli innovation.
Much of his located record is about his opponent rather than about policy. In April 2023 he attacked Lee's vote against a resolution marking Israel's 75th anniversary in terms the research page records, and noted that the vote coincided with jury selection for the trial over the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, which happened in this district.
He has offered no detailed position on specific weapons packages, funding levels or conditions.
He has no federal voting record.
The money
Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct support found in any cycle they have filed
Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-10-03) from the five lobbying groups we track, in any cycle they have filed.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
In their words
“I think it's strategically important, I support them and their efforts, and my opponent has made remarks which are at odds with Israel's safety and security.”
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, 2024-10-25] TribLIVE, opened and confirmed word for word: "I think they're one of our best allies in the world - a thriving democracy in the Middle East," he said. "I think it's strategically important, I support them and their efforts, and my opponent has made remarks which are at odds with Israel's safety and security."
[Position, 2024-07-30, reported] After Netanyahu's address to Congress, said the United States must continue to support Israel in its fight against Hamas and to bring the hostages home. Not quoted, because the source is a round-up (below). The research's source is a Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle round-up of politicians' reactions, **cited four times**. That is a multi-person reaction round-up, the source shape that produced a misattribution on another card, so it was not used as a verified quotation and is recorded as reported.
**No position located on specific weapons packages, funding levels or conditions.** The research itself records this.
He has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
No statement or documented position located.
Characterization of the conflict
[Position, 2024-10-25] Israel as "one of our best allies in the world — a thriving democracy in the Middle East" (confirmed verbatim, above).
[Position, 2024-05-17, reported] In a Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle interview said he absolutely supports Israel, opposed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, cited the "plethora of innovation that comes out of the Jewish state" and asked "Why wouldn't we want to invest in that?" (the interview, cited twice). Not opened.
[Prior, 2023-04-26, reported] Responding to Rep. Lee's vote against a resolution marking Israel's 75th anniversary, asked "Does Summer Lee not know why Israel exists? Does she not care?" (JNS). Before 2023-10-07, so prior band.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
[Prior, 2023-04-26, reported] In the same response he said "There can be no doubt that Summer Lee stands with antisemites like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. All pretense has been cast aside by this despicable, hateful vote."
**Recorded, not quoted on the card, and no label is repeated here.** Under the standing rule of 2026-08-12 this site describes behaviour rather than applying or relaying labels, in either direction; the sentence is a label applied by one politician to others, it is prior-band, and its source was not opened. It is recorded because we keep the full record.
[Prior, 2023-04-26, reported] Noted that Lee's vote coincided with jury selection for the trial over the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, which occurred in this district: "To abandon the world's Jews in the face of mounting antisemitism is troubling..." Prior band, quotation truncated in the research and not completed by inference.
This district is the sharpest contrast in the state: see pa12-lee, who has called for an arms embargo, against a challenger who calls support for Israel strategically important.
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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