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 William Macon III

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.

Macon 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 5 sources.

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Deep Dive

5 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 Macon 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 is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III specifically addressing U.S. military aid, arms transfers, or weapons shipments to Israel.
  • **Characterization of the conflict:** There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III characterizing or commenting on the Israel/Palestine conflict.
  • **Rhetoric and lobbying:** There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III specifically regarding Israel-related political rhetoric, AIPAC, or Middle East lobbying groups.
  • **Safety and antisemitism:** There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III addressing antisemitism or safety issues specific to Jewish institutions or communities.

The rest of what an initial search returned on the questions with no answer

Each line above is the first sentence of what an initial search returned for that question. Where it said more after that sentence, the whole passage is reproduced here word for word, so the qualification stands on the record alongside the finding. Em dashes are rendered as hyphens to satisfy house style; no wording is changed.

### U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III specifically addressing U.S. military aid, arms transfers, or weapons shipments to Israel.

*Broad Foreign Policy Context:* While Macon has not mentioned Israel directly regarding military aid, on July 17, 2026, in a public statement comparing his platform to incumbent Sen. Bill Hagerty, Macon criticized open-ended foreign military deployments, advocating instead for foreign policy rooted in strategic restraint, diplomacy, and congressional oversight.

### Characterization of the conflict There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III characterizing or commenting on the Israel/Palestine conflict.

### Rhetoric and lobbying There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III specifically regarding Israel-related political rhetoric, AIPAC, or Middle East lobbying groups.

*General Lobbying Context:* In campaign posts (including statements on July 14, 2026, and August 7, 2026), Macon expressed general opposition to corporate, special interest, and lobbyist influence in Washington, emphasizing that he accepts no campaign funding from corporations or political action committees, though he did not mention Israel-related entities.

### Safety and antisemitism There is no public record of statements or actions by James William Macon III addressing antisemitism or safety issues specific to Jewish institutions or communities.

*General Safety Context:* In his official 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey response, Macon addressed general public safety, advocating for safe neighborhoods, supporting law enforcement alongside demanding accountability, and expanding healthcare and mental health services across Tennessee communities.

Sources consulted and read (5)

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. – Andrew Gerena (Independent)
  4. ? Tharon Chandler (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.