But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Marsha Blackburn

Republican · Governor, Tennessee
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 9 of 10 tracked votes

Blackburn, the sitting senator running for governor, co-led the May 2024 resolution condemning “any action by the Biden Administration to withhold or restrict ammunition or weapons for Israel”, voted against every resolution to block specific arms sales, and wrote that campus “pro-Hamas activists must face consequences”.

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Deep Dive

Blackburn is the Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee; her federal record as a U.S. senator carries this card. Her recorded Senate votes appear as badges: No on each resolution that would have blocked specific U.S. arms sales to Israel (keeping the sales moving), and No on the February 2024 combined package that carried Israel aid alongside Ukraine and Taiwan funding.

In May 2024 she and Sen. Graham introduced the resolution, co-sponsored by 48 Republican senators, condemning any administration action to withhold or restrict ammunition or weapons for Israel. In 2021, in a Senate floor speech, she said Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and characterized contrary framing as anti-Israel propaganda.

On campuses, her May 2024 statement condemned Brown University for agreeing to a divestment vote and Columbia for negotiating with what she called "pro-Hamas students", urging "actual consequences" including her bill with Sen. Marshall to place people who support designated terrorist organizations on federal watch and No-Fly lists, a proposal Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked as dangerous, per the Jerusalem Post. With Sen. Tillis she introduced the bill making intentional highway-blocking a federal offense, which their statement called a "direct response to radical tactics of pro-Palestinian protesters", per the Guardian. In 2021 she backed the Senate resolution condemning antisemitic attacks.

Her October 2023 statements, including the shoots-sails-flies-or-spies aid formulation and her $14.3 billion standalone bill with Sen. Marshall, are on the research page. An October 2025 criticism of a Nashville council resolution sits on her own social account and is held for human verification.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 9 of 10 tracked votes

Floor votes
H.R. 815 - National Security Supplemental2024-04-23 · Passed 79-18 (Senate)
✓ Voted No
voted against sending it
S.J.Res. 111 - disapproving sale of 120mm tank rounds to Israel2024-11-20 · Failed 18-79
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 113 - disapproving sale of 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds to Israel2024-11-20 · Failed 19-78
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 115 - disapproving sale of JDAM bomb guidance kits to Israel2024-11-20 · Failed 17-80
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 26 - disapproving $6.75B sale of bombs and guidance kits to Israel2025-04-03 · Failed 15-83
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 33 - disapproving $2.04B sale of 2,000-lb bombs to Israel2025-04-03 · Failed 15-82
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 34 - disapproving $675.7M sale of 1,000-lb bombs and JDAM kits to Israel2025-07-30 · Failed 24-73
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 41 - disapproving sale of fully automatic assault rifles to Israel2025-07-30 · Motion to Discharge Rejected 27-70
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 32 - disapproving $295M sale of D9 Caterpillar armored bulldozers to Israel2026-04-15 · Failed 40-59
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
S.J.Res. 138 - disapproving $151.8M sale of 1,000-lb bombs to Israel2026-04-15 · Failed 36-63
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
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.

See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.

Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 9 of 10 tracked votes.)

In their words

“We can only bring an end to these illegal, antisemitic demonstrations when there are actual consequences.”
Source ↗, 2024-05-13

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

  • Her recorded Senate votes appear as badges on this card: No on each disapproval resolution that would have blocked specific arms sales to Israel; No on the February 2024 combined package that included Israel aid with Ukraine and Taiwan funding.
  • [Action, 2024-05-14] The Blackburn-Graham resolution, verified on her own site and quoted on the card; 48 Republican co-sponsors.
  • Her October 2023 aid formulation and the October 2023 standalone $14.3 billion bill are not on the card summary.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located as a distinct position at any date.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2021-05-17] The Senate floor speech, verified by her own site’s page.
  • Her October 2023 press conference and Fox News remarks are not on the card summary.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Held for human verification, 2025-10-01] Her criticism of a Nashville council member’s Gaza resolution; her own campaign social account.
  • [Action] The research reports co-sponsorship of Sen. Scott’s resolution in defense of Israel; the offered release was not checked for her name, so it stays reported.

Safety and antisemitism

Sources retrieved for this card

Race and status context

  • Republican nominee for governor; a sitting U.S. senator, so this card carries a federal record. Her Democratic opponent’s card carries its own record.

Also in this race

  1. – Jerri Green (Democrat)
  2. – Charles Morgan (Independent)
  3. – Dave Seeman (Independent)
  4. – David Hatley (Independent)
  5. – Dean Brewer (Independent)
  6. – Eddie Lee Murphy (Independent)
  7. – Karl Smithson (Independent)
  8. – L. Webb Taylor (Independent)
  9. – Lauren Pinkston (Independent)
  10. – Misam Abidi (Independent)
  11. – Ray Brown (Independent)
  12. – Robert Vick (Independent)
  13. – Victor Scoggin (Independent)
  14. – Wendell Jackson (Independent)

All Tennessee candidates.

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.