Bill Hagerty
R · U.S. Senate, Tennessee · Tier 1
Tier 1, “Firmly pro-Israel”
Maximally pro-Israel: says he understands Israel’s desire to get tough and finish the job and that Hamas has got to go; describes a moral obligation to protect Israel; called BDS an “anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic” movement and “an attempt to delegitimize Israel” in his 2020 campaign’s Israel paper; opposed the Iran nuclear deal; said in an August 2020 interview that he was “supportive” of Israel’s plans to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank; and voted no on every Sanders arms-blocking resolution. He voted against both 2024 Senate passages of the national-security supplemental that carried Israel aid (February and April), a vote against the whole package rather than a move to withhold weapons from Israel. Former Ambassador to Japan; on Foreign Relations. Unopposed in the Aug 6, 2026 Republican primary; faces Marquita Bradshaw in November (safe R seat).
A Tier 1 on many counts, a clean champion on authored legislation and brand. He introduced the Emergency Resupply for Iron Dome Act — authored, arms-specific Israel legislation that redirects US aid from Gaza to Israel’s missile defense — and carries a maximalist brand: he says he “can understand the desire of the Israelis to get tough and finish the job”, told JNS in August 2020 that he was “supportive” of Israel’s plans to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, calls BDS an antisemitic delegitimization campaign, and speaks of a “moral obligation to protect Israel.” Authored Israel legislation plus a maximalist brand is a clean 1, among the clearest Tier 1 cases; when he speaks of Gaza’s hunger he lays “the Palestinians’ plight” on Hamas and backs the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (“Let’s put Hamas out of business. Let’s feed the people,” August 2025).
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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).