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

Brent Taylor

Republican · U.S. House, Tennessee District 9
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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: Answering an August 2026 voter-guide question, he gives a religious reason to support Israel and calls it "our strongest and most reliable ally in a very dangerous global neighborhood", without saying where he stands on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-09. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.

Taylor, a state senator, has no located statement on federal military aid to Israel. Asked in a 2026 voter guide why the U.S.-Israel relationship is important: "As a Christian, I believe the people of Israel are under God's covenant with Abraham and are His chosen people."

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Deep Dive

Taylor is a Tennessee state senator (District 31, Memphis) who won the Republican primary for the redrawn 9th District on August 6, 2026.

His iVoterGuide answer, read in full, continues: "Additionally, there remains a secular reason to support Israel because they are our strongest and most reliable ally in a very dangerous global neighborhood." He answered the guide substantively across topics, which is what makes the answer evidence rather than a form artifact. It is a statement about the relationship; he has no located position on aid packages, conditions, or weapons transfers.

In February 2024, after protesters blocked the Hernando DeSoto Bridge at a Memphis demonstration whose flyer demanded "Biden, no more U.S. aid to Israel! The people demand a ceasefire!", he asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to identify those responsible and "refer the findings to the appropriate office to be fully prosecuted."

As a state senator he co-sponsored resolutions supporting Israel (SJR0870, signed April 2024; SJR0002, April 2025) and one establishing a state definition of antisemitism (SJR0003, March 2025). State resolutions express support; they do not move federal money.

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

“As a Christian, I believe the people of Israel are under God's covenant with Abraham and are His chosen people. Additionally, there remains a secular reason to support Israel because they are our strongest and most reliable ally in a very dangerous global neighborhood.”
Source ↗, 2026-08-12

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

  • No recorded statements or actions specifically addressing federal military aid packages, conditions on aid, or weapons transfers to Israel.
  • [Position, published 2026-08-12] iVoterGuide 2026 answer to "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?", confirmed verbatim: "As a Christian, I believe the people of Israel are under God's covenant with Abraham and are His chosen people. Additionally, there remains a secular reason to support Israel because they are our strongest and most reliable ally in a very dangerous global neighborhood." A relationship-support statement, carried as context under ruling R2; not an aid position.
  • 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, 2024-02-05] After the Shut It Down for Palestine protest blocked the Hernando DeSoto Bridge (Memphis Flyer, confirmed), he tweeted that he had requested a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation review "to determine which individuals are responsible for this action and refer the findings to the appropriate office to be fully prosecuted." The protest's own flyer read "Biden, no more U.S. aid to Israel! The people demand a ceasefire!" His action addresses the protest, not the aid question; recorded here with the full context.
  • [Position, published 2026-08-12] Same iVoterGuide survey: agreed that "Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security."

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [2024, reaction-adjacent] Co-sponsored SJR0870, a Tennessee resolution supporting Israel and condemning the October 7 attacks, signed by the governor 2024-04-09. Introduced in the 2023-24 session; the support-and-condemnation content is from the weeks right after October 7 in character and is kept out of the card summary.
  • [Position, 2025-04-16] Co-sponsored SJR0002, expressing state support for Israel.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • [Position, 2025-03-27] Co-sponsored SJR0003, establishing an official state definition of antisemitism for discrimination determinations.

Consulted

Also in this race

  1. ✓ Justin J. Pearson (Democrat)
  2. ? Dennis Clark (Independent)
  3. – Michelle Davis Head (Independent)

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.