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

Chaz Molder

Democrat · U.S. House, Tennessee District 5
✗From an endorsement
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. Endorsed by DMFI PAC.

Molder calls Israel one of America's "staunchest allies" and the relationship "rock solid," while Israel's current administration "is not necessarily always making the right decisions." He was the only surveyed Democrat not to answer an April 2026 question on ending aid to Israel.

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Deep Dive

Molder is the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, and the Democratic nominee for Tennessee's 5th District.

In a June 2026 NewsChannel 5 interview, quoted by JNS, he said: "The current administration in Israel is not necessarily always making the right decisions, and it's OK to question that and to let them know if there's something they're doing that we don't agree with." He also said: "We can still understand that that relationship is rock solid, even if we have some disagreements." In the same interview he reportedly said he does not support cutting off U.S. aid to Israel and that we have an obligation to help support our allies; that part of the interview reached us through a social post that could not be opened, so it is given without quotation marks.

In April 2026 the Tennessee Holler asked the six Democratic candidates in TN-5 and TN-9 whether they supported ending all aid to Israel. The page records for Molder: "No response, despite repeated attempts from us to ask him directly." His June interview answered the substance two months later.

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 2026-07-23) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Endorsed by DMFI PAC
DMFI PACDemocratic Majority for Israel's PAC; calls itself the home for pro-Israel Democrats and backs Democratic candidates who support a strong U.S. alliance with the government of Israel.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“The current administration in Israel is not necessarily always making the right decisions, and it's OK to question that and to let them know if there's something they're doing that we don't agree with.”
Source ↗, 2026-06-12
Endorsements

DMFI PAC (2026 endorsement)

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

  • [Position, 2026-06-12] NewsChannel 5 Inside Politics interview: reportedly said he does not support cutting off U.S. aid to Israel, saying "We have an obligation to help support our allies." The found source is a TN Holler Facebook post, which serves a login shell to an attempt to open it; unverified, given attributively. The characterization quotes from the same interview are verified via JNS (below).
  • [Position, 2026-04-13] The Tennessee Holler survey of TN-5 and TN-9 Democratic candidates on ending all aid to Israel records: "Only Chaz Molder in TN-5 did not respond" and "No response, despite repeated attempts from us to ask him directly." Opened and confirmed.
  • He has no federal voting record.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • No statement or documented position found by the research.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2026-06-12, reported 2026-08-07] JNS, quoting his local-news interview: described Israel as one of America's "staunchest allies" but said "we might not always agree with our allies." And: "The current administration in Israel is not necessarily always making the right decisions, and it's OK to question that and to let them know if there's something they're doing that we don't agree with. We can still understand that that relationship is rock solid, even if we have some disagreements." Opened and confirmed word for word. Note: the JNS article is mainly about his general-election opponent's primary win; multi-person source.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • No public statements or documented actions found by the research on Israel-related lobbying groups or rhetoric.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • No public statements or official actions found by the research.

Consulted

Also in this race

  1. – Charlie Hatcher (Republican)
  2. – James A. Johnson (Independent)
  3. – Micheál O'Leary (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.