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

Bishop Staten

Independent · U.S. House, Virginia District 2
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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.

No public statement from Staten on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians, could be verified (source-checked research). Everything offered for him sits behind a login we cannot get past.

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Deep Dive

Staten is a candidate for Virginia's 2nd District.

Everything offered for him is a post on his own Facebook page. We tried to open those links and were unable to, and a volunteer who checked them found nothing about Israel or Gaza either. He has no federal voting record, so there is no vote to read instead.

That leaves us with nothing we can stand behind about where he stands on what the United States sends.

You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Staten directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words.

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.

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, 2026-08-07, unverified source] Reported by the research: a social-media statement criticizing U.S. foreign-aid spending and opposing aid allocated overseas, arguing elected officials prioritize foreign spending over domestic interests. Sources are his own Facebook posts (one, another), each returning a 1.5KB login shell; a raw-byte search found none of the reported text.
  • [Position, 2026-08-08, unverified source] Reported platform pillars including a "Pacifist Foreign Policy" and consistent advocacy for a ceasefire. Same source class.
  • No verified statement naming Israel, Palestinians, or any package or transfer. **A volunteer has since checked these posts and found nothing about Israel or Gaza in them**, so the card is written as an honest absence.
  • He has no federal voting record.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • No statement or documented position found beyond the reported ceasefire advocacy above.

Characterization of the conflict

  • Nothing located beyond the above.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Unverified source] The web address of one of his posts reads "i dont have 22 million in aipac money dont say one dam word about my spending," which the research turns up as a contrast between his own spending and AIPAC money in the race. The post text itself was not readable. A money-and-influence item about his own campaign; recorded separately so it never reads as an answer about U.S. weapons or funding.

Safety and antisemitism (context)

  • Nothing located.

Consulted

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Elaine G. Luria (Democrat)
  2. ✗ Jen Kiggans (Republican)
  3. ? J. Matt Baker (Independent)

All Virginia 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.