But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Rio Phillips
Independent · U.S. Senate, West Virginia
Declared write-in candidate. Not printed on the ballot.
–No Position Found
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.
No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.
Phillips has not spoken publicly on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. No statement was found in source-checked research across 6 sources.
The email has replies@butwhatcanyoudo.org in cc, so we can post their answer on their page in their own words; remove it if you prefer. Keep the subject line as it is, add your name, and send.
6 sources checked and read, every one listed on the research page. Most candidates at this level have simply never been asked.
You are better placed to change that than we are. Ask Phillips directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in their own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about them.
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 2026-07-13) 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.
What was looked for, and what came back
**U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel:** There are no recorded public statements, official campaign policy positions, or personal actions by Rio Phillips regarding U.S. military aid or weapons transfers to Israel.
**Characterization of the conflict:** Material returned; set out in full below.
**Rhetoric and lobbying:** Material returned; set out in full below.
**Safety and antisemitism:** There are no recorded public statements, policy positions, or personal actions by Rio Phillips on the topic of antisemitism or safety for Jewish communities.
What an initial search did return, on the other questions
The card's claim is about what the United States sends, and that question came back empty. These questions did return material. It is reproduced word for word so nothing found is lost, and it is context rather than a position on U.S. weapons or money. Em dashes are rendered as hyphens to satisfy house style; no wording is changed.
### Characterization of the conflict * **November 26, 2025:** A profile published by SenGov noted that Phillips personally organized a 10,000-gallon drinkable water relief effort directed toward "besieged Palestinians of Gaza". * **2025–2026:** In his official response to the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey for his Senate campaign, Phillips cited U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders as a political influence, specifically commending Sanders' consistency on progressive issues ranging from wealth inequality to Gaza. * **March 2, 2026:** Commenting on U.S. foreign operations and escalations in the Middle East, Phillips posted on Facebook criticizing U.S. military strikes involving Iran, writing that "Donald 'I Stopped 8 Wars' Trump is now launching the Epstein War in Iran to distract from the Epstein files". * **May 6, 2026:** In a primary candidate survey published by *West Virginia Watch* (and reported by the *West Virginia Daily News*), Phillips and other primary contenders expressed criticism over how the U.S. government handled foreign conflicts, including the war between Israel and Palestine.
### Rhetoric and lobbying * **January 31, 2026:** Speaking at a student campus rally at Marshall University titled "Take Down the Tyrants," Phillips framed his platform around working-class priorities and stated that his campaign refuses to accept corporate or foreign lobbying money. * Beyond his broad pledge rejecting foreign lobbying money, there are no recorded public statements or personal actions by Phillips specifically addressing Israel-related lobbying groups or pro-Israel political organizations.
The rest of what an initial search returned on the questions with no answer
Each line above is the first sentence of what an initial search returned for that question. Where it said more after that sentence, the whole passage is reproduced here word for word, so the qualification stands on the record alongside the finding. Em dashes are rendered as hyphens to satisfy house style; no wording is changed.
### U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel There are no recorded public statements, official campaign policy positions, or personal actions by Rio Phillips regarding U.S. military aid or weapons transfers to Israel.
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.