Aaron Gies
D · U.S. House, NY-23 · Tier 3
Tier 3, “Pro-Israel, critical”
St. Bonaventure theology professor and Democratic nominee. On the second anniversary of October 7 (Bluesky, Oct 7, 2025) he condemned Hamas’s “brutal terrorist attacks,” wrote that in Gaza “Families have starved under siege” and that “Justice for the victims of terror can never mean collective punishment,” and posted, “I renew my call for an immediate cease-fire, the release of all hostages, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and leadership, on all sides, that chooses humanity over hate”; he has stated no specific position on military aid or weapons to Israel. At an October 28, 2026 town hall in Allegany, asked about Gaza and a two-state solution, he called the actions of the Israeli army and air force in Gaza genocide, the Olean Star reported; he said “I love the Jewish people” and that he wants to keep Israel as an ally, but added, “We have to be tough on Israel. No more blank checks.” He opposed the 2026 Iran war as “another regime change war” while calling Iran's government “murderous, corrupt, and unpopular.”
A 3, on a thin record: one Bluesky thread, posted October 7, 2025, and one town-hall answer, reported October 30, 2026. He condemned Hamas’s “brutal terrorist attacks,” then wrote that “the people of Gaza have endured unbearable suffering,” that “Families have starved under siege. Tens of thousands of civilians, many of them children, are gone,” and that “Justice for the victims of terror can never mean collective punishment. Security cannot come from the destruction of hospitals, schools, and homes.” He closed: “I renew my call for an immediate cease-fire, the release of all hostages, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and leadership, on all sides, that chooses humanity over hate.” That is concern for Gaza’s civilians aimed at how the war is waged, standing apart from any alliance or self-defense frame. At an October 28, 2026 town hall, the Olean Star reported, he called the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza genocide and said, “We have to be tough on Israel. No more blank checks.” That is the idea of conditioning aid, in slogan form, said in the campaign’s last week. Beyond that line he states no position on military aid or weapons to Israel, and his campaign site says nothing on Israel. Counter-cases: 2/3, since the genocide word is the paper’s, not his, and a slogan days before the election is not a policy; 3/4, reading “no more blank checks” beside a genocide charge as a call to cut the aid.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).