But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Dan Ahlers
Democrat · Governor, South Dakota
–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.
Nothing was located in which Ahlers speaks for himself about U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or about aid to Palestinians. His campaign site is healthcare, housing and the state budget. A party statement issued while he directed the party is on his research page.
The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.
Ahlers is the Democratic nominee for governor of South Dakota, a former state legislator and a small-business owner. He has never held federal office, so none of the congressional votes this site tracks are his.
If you want his own position on what the United States sends, you are better placed to get it than we are: ask Ahlers directly and send us the reply. It goes on this page in his own 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
Nothing located in his own words, in any band. A fresh search of the open record in August 2026 reached the same conclusion in its own words: there is no documented personal statement or legislative action by him on U.S. military aid or weapons shipments.
[Party document, 2024-05-10] The South Dakota Democratic Party's statement on the war, dated on the page and read and confirmed word for word. Its words on the American question: "The threat by President Biden to stop shipments of some US weapons to Israel is a positive step forward in protecting the lives of innocent men, women and children, as well as the hostages who have been kidnapped by Hamas. We are also hopeful that more aid will soon be delivered to people in Gaza with a military pier and causeway now constructed." The release names him: "For questions, you can contact the SDDP Executive Director Dan Ahlers." This is a party statement while he ran the party's office. It is not signed by him, it does not quote him, and no wording in it is attributed to him personally.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
Nothing located in his own words. The party statement above hoped for more aid delivery into Gaza.
Characterization of the conflict
Nothing located in his own words. The party statement's characterization, also confirmed: "The actions by Hamas on October 7th were a horrific attack on Israel, and those who have been kidnapped should be protected and brought home. However, the actions by Israel to defend itself have led to the deaths of more than 30,000 people in Gaza, many of whom are children."
Note on the inherited line: this record's summary said he had been "associated with statements that reflect a more critical stance toward Israel's military actions compared to his Republican counterparts", with no statement named, no date and no source. The document above is almost certainly what it meant. It is a party statement, which is why the card says so in its own third sentence.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
No endorsement located on either side; this record's endorsement check resolved empty against the state party site.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
Nothing located in his own words. The party statement said the party "must take responsibility to educate and intervene when it comes to antisemitism and Islamophobia within our communities".
[Position, read 2026-08-17] Campaign site: experience as a business owner, chamber of commerce administrator and state legislator; healthcare, housing, the state budget, infrastructure and education. No foreign-policy content of any kind.
His role as the state party's executive director, which this record asserted without a source, is confirmed by the party's own release above.
He did not serve in Congress during any of the tracked votes.
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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