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

Andrew Gerena

Independent · U.S. Senate, Tennessee
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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.

No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

Gerena has not spoken publicly on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. No statement was found in source-checked research across 2 sources.

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Deep Dive

2 sources checked and read, every one listed on the research page. Most candidates at this level have simply never been asked.

You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Gerena directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in their own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about them.

The money

Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found

2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-07-13) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

What was looked for, and what came back

  • **U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel:** There are no recorded public statements, policy positions, or actions by Andrew Gerena regarding U.S. military aid or weapons sales to Israel.
  • **Characterization of the conflict:** There are no recorded public statements or positions by Andrew Gerena characterizing the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
  • **Rhetoric and lobbying:** There are no recorded public statements or actions by Andrew Gerena regarding Israel-related lobbying groups (such as AIPAC) or political rhetoric concerning Israel.
  • **Safety and antisemitism:** There are no recorded public statements or policy positions by Andrew Gerena regarding antisemitism or community safety issues relating to Jewish or Middle Eastern communities.

Sources consulted and read (2)

Not found

  • No position located on U.S. weapons, arms sales or military funding for the government of Israel.
  • No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians, UNRWA or Gaza humanitarian funding.
  • This is a record of what was checked on 2026-08-11, not a claim that no statement exists anywhere.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Bill Hagerty (Republican)
  2. – Marquita Bradshaw (Democrat)
  3. ? Tharon Chandler (Independent)
  4. – James William Macon III (Independent)
  5. – Jeremy Dean Hearn (Independent)
  6. – Robert Jones (Independent)
  7. – Yoshi D. Matthews (Independent)
  8. – David Sutman Jr. (Independent)
  9. – Catherine Barcel Ms Barcy Whitson (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.