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

David Crowley

Democrat · Governor, Wisconsin
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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.

Crowley did not attend a July 2026 forum for Muslim voters whose advance questions asked whether the government of Israel's actions in Gaza constitute genocide, saying he was unwell and feared a flooded basement. Nothing located addresses U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or aid to Palestinians.

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Deep Dive

Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, won the Democratic nomination for governor in the August 2026 primary after leaving the race on July 8 and re-entering it on July 18, when Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez withdrew. He faces Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance sent its July 1 forum questions to the candidates in advance. One asked whether they agreed that the Israeli government's actions in Gaza constitute a genocide, and whether they would repeal Wisconsin's law penalizing companies that boycott Israel. His team emailed on the day that he "will be unable to attend" and offered to reschedule. Three weeks later he told the Milwaukee Courier: "Now, I wasn’t able to make that particular forum because I was under the weather. And plus, quite frankly, I thought my basement was getting ready to flood because we had some pipe issues." In the same interview he said he represents "the largest Muslim and Jewish population here within Milwaukee County" and had stood with the Muslim community. He has not answered the genocide question in any venue we located.

On July 2 he wrote that rival Francesca Hong's livestream host Hasan Piker's "statements are beyond the pale and I would not appear with him if invited". Asked by the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle about antisemitic incidents in the state, he answered that "No one should feel unsafe because of their faith, their heritage, or who they are" and that antisemitism should be rejected "regardless of where it comes from or who is promoting it." Those are statements about hate at home, not about what the United States sends. Nothing located from him addresses U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or U.S. aid to Palestinians. You are better placed to change that than we are: ask Crowley directly and send us the reply. It goes on this page in his own words.

In their words

“Now, I wasn’t able to make that particular forum because I was under the weather. And plus, quite frankly, I thought my basement was getting ready to flood because we had some pipe issues. And so that’s the reason why I wasn’t there.”
Source ↗, 2026-07-23
“I am open to all reasonable, pragmatic conversations about how to move our state forward, but Hasan Piker’s statements are beyond the pale and I would not appear with him if invited,”
Source ↗, 2026-07-02
“The sharp rise in antisemitic incidents over the last decade should concern every one of us. No one should feel unsafe because of their faith, their heritage, or who they are. When Jewish families, students, business owners, or community members are targeted with harassment, threats, or violence, it attacks the values that make Wisconsin strong.”
Source ↗, 2026-08-05

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

Every page cited below was opened and read on 2026-09-03 unless marked otherwise. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated.

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • Nothing located. No statement, platform line or interview answer by David Crowley on U.S. military aid or weapons for the government of Israel was found in either search, on his Ballotpedia page (which reproduces his campaign-site platform text of June and August 2026 with no foreign-policy content), or in the Milwaukee Courier interview. Searches run included: "David Crowley" "Gaza" "Israel" statement; David Crowley Israel Gaza Palestine antisemitism; "David Crowley" "Israel" OR "antisemitism" OR "Gaza" OR "Palestine".
  • The August search's claim that the forum's advance questions concerned U.S. military aid and Israel policy is not borne out by the forum report: the published question text (below) is about genocide and the state anti-boycott law, not federal aid. Recorded as a search claim that did not verify.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located on UNRWA, Gaza humanitarian funding or the aid pipeline.

Characterization of the conflict

  • [Position, 2026-07-07] Wisconsin Muslim Journal's report of the July 1, 2026 WMCA/WMCF gubernatorial forum at the Oak Creek Performing Arts Center reproduces the question sent in advance: "Do you agree with the overwhelming consensus amongst genocide experts, including Israeli scholar, Ross Segal and Brown University Holocaust historian Omar Bartow, that the Israeli government’s actions of Gaza constitute a genocide? Wisconsin’s anti-BDS law creates government forced consequences for companies boycotting, divesting and sanctioning Israel. Would you repeal Wisconsin’s anti BDS law?" The report says Crowley and Rodriguez "accepted the invitation but sent regrets on the day of the event after receiving the questions" and quotes an email from Crowley's team: he "will be unable to attend … We are sorry for the late notice, and we would be happy to reschedule a time for the County Executive to speak with the organization." Candidates who attended (Barnes, Roys, Hong, Manske) answered; Crowley did not (Wisconsin Muslim Journal). Multi-candidate page; only the email fragment is his.
  • [Position, 2026-07-23] Milwaukee Courier Q&A, asked why he skipped the WMCA forum: "I represent the largest Muslim and Jewish population here within Milwaukee County. I want to be very upfront when it comes down to our Muslim community. I have been there and stood up with them. When Salah Sarsour was detained by ICE, I was there during that rally. And if you look within my administration, we have Muslims in high cabinet positions." "So I don’t want our Muslim community thinking that I don’t support them because I’ve been supporting them throughout my entire time as Milwaukee County Executive." "Now, I wasn’t able to make that particular forum because I was under the weather. And plus, quite frankly, I thought my basement was getting ready to flood because we had some pipe issues. And so that’s the reason why I wasn’t there." (Milwaukee Courier). He did not address the genocide question itself.
  • [Position, 2026-07-26; third party] Wisconsin Right Now reproduces the Courier answer and a July 2 Facebook post by WMCA organizer Wajiha Akhtar-Khaleel: "The questions were written by our community and sent in advance and two candidates chose not to come (Crowley and Rodriguez). At the last minute, there were negotiations that asking about genocide shouldn’t be a yes/no question. WMCA stood firm that questions of morality are truly yes or no questions." and "The two campaigns said they would meet privately with the org." (Wisconsin Right Now). The organizers' account of his campaign's objection is third party about him; research page only.
  • [Position, 2026-07-03; third party opinion] Madison365 column by a forum attendee: "We knew that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley would not come. He, or his team, called the organizers to confirm this." (Madison365). Opinion; not on the card summary.
  • [Position, undated page; third party opinion] Cap Times column by John Nichols: the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the two candidates opted out "after learning they would be asked about Israel's actions in Gaza and other controversial topics" (Cap Times). Opinion relaying the Journal Sentinel, which was not located; not on the card summary.
  • The WisPolitics copy of the WMCA statement ("WI Muslim community asked direct questions. Two candidates chose to withdraw.") opens only to its first paragraph, behind a subscriber wall. Raw address: https://www.wispolitics.com/2026/wisconsin-muslim-civic-alliance-wi-muslim-community-asked-direct-questions-two-candidates-chose-to-withdraw/

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Position, 2026-07-02] Wisconsin Public Radio, on Francesca Hong's livestream with Hasan Piker: "“I am open to all reasonable, pragmatic conversations about how to move our state forward, but Hasan Piker’s statements are beyond the pale and I would not appear with him if invited,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley wrote on social media. “This race isn’t about who can generate the most viewers on their livestream by making outrageous and offensive statements.”" (WPR; the same report is republished by Urban Milwaukee). WPR notes Piker's past remarks about September 11 and about reports of sexual violence on October 7.
  • [Position, 2026-08-12] JNS on the primary result: Crowley beat Hong (313,321 to 310,110 with an estimated 98% counted, per AP, called Wednesday morning); it describes him as having "not repeatedly condemned the Jewish state" and as having "briefly withdrew from the race in July"; his campaign manager's statement is about affordability, schools and jobs (JNS). The Jerusalem Post's same-day report projects him the winner (JPost). Neither attributes an Israel position to him.
  • [Position, 2026-08-04] Anadolu Agency explainer names Crowley as Hong's principal rival after Barnes withdrew; nothing on his positions (AA).
  • Times of Israel, 2026-08-12, "Wisconsin Democrats choose David Crowley over anti-Israel Hong as nominee for governor": opened 2026-09-26; it carries no Crowley statement on Israel, Gaza, antisemitism or the forum. Raw address: https://www.timesofisrael.com/wisconsin-democrats-choose-david-crowley-as-nominee-for-governor-over-anti-israel-hong/
  • The August search also asserted that the forum's advance questions asked about repealing 2025 Wisconsin Act 143 (the IHRA definition statute) and that he has not publicly issued a formal position on Act 143. The published forum question is about the anti-boycott law, not Act 143; the Act 143 claim is unverified. The Urban Milwaukee press release it cited (Legislation to Combat Antisemitism Becomes Law) does not mention Crowley.

Safety and antisemitism (context, not a position on what America sends)

  • [Position, 2026-08-05] Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle election guide. The Chronicle asked two questions (antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin and the governor's role; top three state priorities); there was no Israel question. Crowley's answer on antisemitism, verbatim from the guide: "The sharp rise in antisemitic incidents over the last decade should concern every one of us. No one should feel unsafe because of their faith, their heritage, or who they are. When Jewish families, students, business owners, or community members are targeted with harassment, threats, or violence, it attacks the values that make Wisconsin strong." He goes on to propose state and local law-enforcement partnerships on hate crimes, resources to protect houses of worship, and education, and writes: "I believe we have a responsibility to reject antisemitism regardless of where it comes from or who is promoting it." (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, read under his own heading).
  • [Earlier record, 2022-12-19] WUWM: Crowley was among local figures who recorded messages for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation's Shine a Light campaign against antisemitism (WUWM). The WisPolitics item of 2022-12-14 returned 403.

Candidacy record (context)

  • [Position, 2026-07-08] Urban Milwaukee: Crowley dropped out of the race on July 8, saying "It has become clear that I will not be the Democratic nominee for governor, so today I am stepping out of this race, but I am not stepping away from the work," and endorsed Rodriguez (Urban Milwaukee; WBAY).
  • [Position, 2026-07-17 and 2026-07-18] WPR and PBS Wisconsin: after Rodriguez suspended her campaign over campaign-finance problems, Crowley re-entered on July 18 (WPR; PBS Wisconsin).

Not on the card, and why

  • Organizers' account that his campaign objected to a yes-or-no genocide question: third parties speaking about him; research page only. His own stated reason is on the card.
  • Madison365 and Cap Times columns; Manske's Facebook remark quoted by the Muslim Journal: opinion or third party; not on the card summary.
  • Piker statement and Jewish Chronicle answer: on the deep dive as context; not on the front, which is limited to the one located event that touched the conflict itself plus the federal sentence.
  • Act 143 / IHRA claim from the August search: unverified; research page only.
  • August search's U.S. military aid framing of the forum questions: not borne out by the published questions; research page only.
  • Facebook sources cited by the searches (trackaipac, TMJ4) returned 400; the Reddit thread is a forum; none used.

Sources retrieved for this card (URL, HTTP status, date read)

  • https://wisconsinmuslimjournal.org/wmca-wmcf-governor-candidate-forum-elicits-answers-that-matter-to-wisconsin-muslims/ (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-07)
  • https://milwaukeecourier.com/news/2026/07/23/qa-david-crowley-on-the-state-of-wisconsin-governors-race-madison-police-shooting-dirt-mcgirk-muslim-voters-and-more (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-23)
  • https://www.wpr.org/news/francesca-hong-hasan-piker-livestreams-antisemitism-governors-race-wisconsin (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-02)
  • https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/07/02/hongs-livestream-push-nets-92000-and-sparks-antisemitism-backlash/ (200, 2026-09-03; no publication metadata; WPR republication)
  • https://www.jewishchronicle.org/2026/08/05/updated-2026-election-guide-wisconsin-candidates-for-governor-on-antisemitism/ (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-08-05)
  • https://www.wisconsinrightnow.com/david-crowley-muslim-civic-alliance/ (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-26)
  • https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/07/08/david-crowley-drops-out-of-race-for-governor/ (200, 2026-09-03; no publication metadata; comments dated July 8-9, 2026)
  • https://www.wbay.com/2026/07/08/report-david-crowley-drops-out-race-wisconsin-governor/ (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-08)
  • https://www.wpr.org/news/rodriguez-crowley-democratic-primary-shakeup (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-17)
  • https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/crowley-restarts-2026-bid-for-wisconsin-governor-after-rodriguez-quits-race/ (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-07-18)
  • https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/wisconsin-gov-primary-too-close-to-call-with-anti-israel-dem-socialist-neck-and-neck-with-milwaukee-county-exec (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-08-12)
  • https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-905274 (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-08-12)
  • https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/explainer-midwest-primaries-test-democrats-on-israel-policy-palestinian-rights/4018047 (200, 2026-09-03; published 2026-08-04)
  • https://madison365.com/opinion-its-not-2001-anymore-candidates-need-to-show-up-for-muslims-and-arabs/ (200, 2026-09-03; no publication metadata; the search dates it 2026-07-03)
  • https://captimes.com/opinion/john-nichols/opinion-wisconsin-muslim-voters-snubbed-by-gubernatorial-candidates/article_d81536e7-1451-4382-ab27-90b329018a4f.html (200, 2026-09-03; no publication metadata)
  • https://www.wuwm.com/2022-12-19/milwaukee-jewish-organizations-celebrate-hanukkah-with-common-goal-of-curbing-antisemitism (200, 2026-09-03; published 2022-12-19)
  • https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/legislation-to-combat-antisemitism-becomes-law/ (200, 2026-09-03; does not mention Crowley)
  • https://ballotpedia.org/David_Crowley_(Wisconsin) (200, 2026-09-03; platform text, no foreign policy); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Crowley_(Wisconsin_politician) (200, 2026-09-03; identity and campaign chronology)
  • https://www.timesofisrael.com/wisconsin-democrats-choose-david-crowley-as-nominee-for-governor-over-anti-israel-hong/ (opened 2026-09-26; published 2026-08-12)
  • https://www.wispolitics.com/2026/wisconsin-muslim-civic-alliance-wi-muslim-community-asked-direct-questions-two-candidates-chose-to-withdraw/ (first paragraph only, behind a subscriber wall, 2026-09-26)
  • https://www.wispolitics.com/2022/milwaukee-jewish-federation-shining-a-light-on-antisemitism-this-hanukkah-season/ (403, per the September search)
  • Facebook sources, HTTP 400: trackaipac post 122278545260252847; tmj4 post 1382146630768392. Reddit thread r/wisconsin 1ulrjch and YouTube short eYafTrmYFRI: not used.

Also in this race

  1. ✗ Tom Tiffany (Republican)
  2. – Jamie Jo Carothers (Independent)

All Wisconsin 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.