Steven Shook
Asked whether he supports halting U.S. military aid to nations committing human rights abuses, Shook answered "Absolutely yes": the U.S. "should not provide military aid, weapons, or diplomatic cover to any government committing serious or ongoing human rights abuses, including Israel".
Shook is a critical care nurse practitioner and the Democratic nominee in Texas’s 26th District.
On U.S. weapons his answer was unqualified. In a candidate questionnaire published July 26, 2026, asked whether he backed halting aid to nations such as Israel and Egypt, the first search records that he answered "Absolutely yes" and said the United States "should not provide military aid, weapons, or diplomatic cover to any government committing serious or ongoing human rights abuses", with assistance conditioned on compliance with U.S. and international law, protection of civilians and strict accountability. That answer is quoted directly. An earlier check called the page paywalled, which was a fault in how we read the page, retracted on 2026-08-11.
On aid into Gaza he spoke from his own profession. On January 7, 2026 he called Israel’s suspension of operating licences for 37 international aid organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, "deeply disturbing and unacceptable", and noted that he had himself been pending approval to travel to Gaza as a healthcare provider. No source page for that statement opened: the only url the first search attached is a post from a broadcaster’s account, not his.
His campaign platform calls for foreign leadership prioritising diplomacy, human rights, international humanitarian law and civilian protection.
His campaign also rejects AIPAC backing and features endorsements from groups organised against pro-Israel lobbying. That is a money-and-lobbying commitment rather than a position on weapons or funding, and it is on the research page.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2026-07-26 [Current position; card-leading; VERIFIED 2026-08-11]: In a candidate questionnaire, asked whether he supported halting aid to nations such as Israel and Egypt, the first search records his answer as "Absolutely yes", with: the United States "should not provide military aid, weapons, or diplomatic cover to any government committing serious or ongoing human rights abuses", and military assistance must be conditioned on compliance with U.S. and international law, protection of civilians and strict accountability.
⚠ **NOT PAYWALLED.** The text is on the page; our first reading of it lost the body. Read in full 2026-08-11 and quoted verbatim above. ⚠ **THE CONDITION IS THE CONDUCT.** As with the other three answers to this questionnaire series, the question named Israel among countries committing abuses and his answer is about such governments generally. His is the most emphatic of the four and it still turns on conduct.
- Undated [Current position]: His campaign platform, listed five times in the sources, calls for responsible foreign leadership prioritising diplomacy, human rights, international humanitarian law and civilian protection. Not opened.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- 2026-01-07 [Current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN]: The first search reports he called Israel's suspension of operating licences for 37 international aid organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, "deeply disturbing and unacceptable", praised aid workers whose "sole mission is to save lives and care for civilians in crisis", and noted he had been pending approval to travel to Gaza as a healthcare provider.
⚠ **THE ONLY SOURCE IS SOMEONE ELSE'S POST.** The url attached is a CGTN America Facebook post about the licence suspensions, which would not open and is a broadcaster's account, not his. His own statement has no source page. This is the more distinctive half of his record, because it comes from his own profession.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2026-01-07 [Current position; same missing source page]: He frames the conflict through a medical and humanitarian lens, with civilian protection and international humanitarian law as the central pillars.
Rhetoric and lobbying
[A money-refusal pledge must never read as a weapons or funding position.]
- 2026 [Current position]: His campaign rejects backing from AIPAC and features endorsements from groups organised against pro-Israel lobbying, named by the first search as Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption and Track AIPAC, on his campaign site. A fundraising page titled "Steven rejects AIPAC" is among the sources.
Safety and antisemitism
[Context only, never the answer to what America sends.]
- 2026-07-30 and 2026-08-03 [Current position; SOURCE DID NOT OPEN]: He took part in a "Hate Has No Home Here" town hall in Frisco and afterwards emphasised stopping division and promoting community safety, respect and inclusion across North Texas. Its source page, a Facebook post, would not open.
- The first search’s verdict: beyond his general anti-hate platform he has issued no detailed statement or standalone policy on antisemitism or Jewish community safety.
Sources consulted and read
- The Lone Star Left questionnaire, paywalled.
- His campaign site, listed five times.
- A local primary candidate guide of 2026-02-16 and his Ballotpedia page.
Consulted and unusable
- ⚠ One source found is a localcandidates.org positions page for Brandon Gill, the TX-26 incumbent and a different person. It would not open. Nothing here rests on it.
- Two further Facebook urls would not open and one more localcandidates.org page would not open.
What came back empty or unusable
- His questionnaire answer is paywalled and his Gaza aid statement has no source page of its own, so neither half of the card can be quoted.
- Thirteen sources of which five are the same campaign homepage.
Also in this race: Brandon Gill (Republican) · All Texas candidates.
See the full record →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 the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.