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

Mike Croley

Democrat · U.S. House, Tennessee District 6
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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.

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Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: His campaign essay objects outright to sending billions in military aid to Israel while cutting healthcare at home, which read as a whole says that funding should stop, though he never names a bill or a cutoff. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.

Croley questions the scale of U.S. military aid to the government of Israel: "Since October 2023, we have sent over $16 billion in direct military aid to Israel. Israel provides universal healthcare to every one of its residents by law." He sets that against rural hospital cuts in his district.

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Deep Dive

Croley, a Navy veteran and former state park ranger, is the Democratic nominee for Tennessee's 6th District.

His fullest statement is on his campaign site, read in full: "Since October 2023, we have sent over $16 billion in direct military aid to Israel. Israel provides universal healthcare to every one of its residents by law." It continues: "We are funding a war for a country that guarantees healthcare to its citizens while we are cutting healthcare for our own. Does this sound like America first?" The argument runs through Tennessee's rural-hospital closures and healthcare rankings, in an essay mostly about the war with Iran.

A report that he told the Tennessee Holler he would vote for Rep. Thomas Massie's amendment to strike $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel could not be confirmed: the Holler post it was tied to opens, but it is about the TN-5 field, and no answer from him is on it.

He has pledged not to take AIPAC money ("never have, never will,", as reported, same kind of page we cannot open), and attended the Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable's candidate forum in June 2026.

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.

In their words

“Since October 2023, we have sent over $16 billion in direct military aid to Israel. Israel provides universal healthcare to every one of its residents by law.”
Source ↗, 2026-03-05
“We are funding a war for a country that guarantees healthcare to its citizens while we are cutting healthcare for our own. Does this sound like America first?”
Source ↗, 2026-03-05

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, 2026-03-05] His campaign-site essay, published March 5, 2026, mostly about the war with Iran, under the heading "The Healthcare Accounting": "The facts are cold and clear. Since October 2023, we have sent over $16 billion in direct military aid to Israel. Israel provides universal healthcare to every one of its residents by law." And: "We are funding a war for a country that guarantees healthcare to its citizens while we are cutting healthcare for our own. Does this sound like America first?" Also: "If you believe in fiscal responsibility: Ask why we have billions for unbudgeted wars but can’t afford to stabilize the rural health safety net that keeps hospitals open across the Upper Cumberland." Between the two passages: "Rural hospitals in this district have been forced to shut down their labor and delivery units."
  • [Position, 2026-07-03; not confirmed] Reported answer to the Tennessee Holler on the Massie amendment striking $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel: "I'm running in TN6, and I would absolutely vote yes". The Holler post it was tied to opens, but its caption is about the TN-5 Democratic candidates (it names Hurley, Iacomini, Cooper-Sutton and Hill as voting yes and says Chaz Molder did not respond), and no answer from him appears on the page as served. Not used on the card front or quoted in the deep dive.
  • He has no federal voting record.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • No statement or documented position located.

Characterization of the conflict

  • No detailed statements or formal positions characterizing the conflict itself were located.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, 2025-04-12] Campaign stance rejecting AIPAC support: "No AIPAC money. Never have, never will", as reported. Source is a Facebook group post (login shell); unverified. A money-refusal pledge, recorded as its own item, never as an answer about U.S. weapons or funding.
  • [Position, 2026-07-07] Discussed lobbying influence including AIPAC on the Left Out Loud podcast (Spotify); audio sources, not opened.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

Consulted

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Johnny Garrett (Republican)
  2. ✓ Angus Purdy (Independent)
  3. – Christopher B. Monday (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.