Chris Pappas
D · U.S. Senate, New Hampshire · Tier 2
Tier 2, “Mainstream pro-Israel”
As a House member he cast pro-Israel votes few Democrats joined: he voted Yea on both the 2024 and 2025 ICC-sanctions bills, crossed to vote for the H.R.7217 aid measure, cosponsored the Hamas-financing bill, and was one of 22 Democrats who voted to censure Rashida Tlaib (H.Res.845, Nov 7, 2023). More than $300,000 came to his 2024 campaign through AIPAC’s PAC, most of it individual donations earmarked through the PAC, making AIPAC the largest contributor to that campaign. Backs bipartisan security assistance and a two-state solution, though after the April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers he said “I think Israel has every right to defend itself, but obviously, no nation should be targeting civilians” and pressed Israel to heighten deconfliction, and his campaign site says he voted for “more than $9 billion in life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza” and has called for “a ceasefire that ensures the return of all hostages, the destruction of Hamas, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian support.” In January 2024 he signed the Smith–Manning letter, whose signers “thoroughly reject” South Africa’s “charge of genocide” against Israel. In April 2024 he signed the Gottheimer–Wilson letter urging Speaker Johnson to bring the Senate’s $95 billion national-security supplemental, with its aid to Israel, to an immediate vote. In an August 2026 NHPR interview he said “This is a moment for a reset in that relationship” and, discussing his Present vote on the Massie amendment, “I do hope that Netanyahu is on his way out the door, and that Israel will select new leadership”; in a February video shot at AIPAC’s 2026 Congressional Summit, he had called himself “a strong supporter of the bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship, which is a cornerstone of our national security policy.” Defending his Present vote on the Massie amendment at an Oct 25, 2026 candidates’ forum at Temple Adath Yeshurun in Manchester, he said “what it contained in that legislation was funding for important humanitarian programs that benefit both Israelis and Palestinians. What I can’t abide is the policies of the Netanyahu government,” and that a foreign policy rooted in shared values “means standing for Israel’s security and standing for the dignity of the Palestinian people” (InDepthNH); Manchester Ink Link reported that he also backed Israel’s right to defend itself, humanitarian assistance, Palestinian statehood and the disarmament of Hamas. In his final debate with John E. Sununu, on WMUR on Oct 28, 2026, asked whether money should be part of a deal to end the war with Iran, he said “the regime in Iran, which continues to pledge death to our ally Israel and the United States, is no friend, and we have to be very clear-eyed about any negotiations” (NHPR).
A flat 2. His votes keep the pro-Israel frame: Yeas on both ICC-sanctions bills, the February 2024 standalone Israel aid bill (H.R.7217), the Hamas-financing bill, the censure of Rashida Tlaib, H.Res.894, the IHRA-based Antisemitism Awareness Act, the 2024 Anti-BDS Labeling Act and the June 2024 amendment barring the State Department from citing Gaza’s casualty figures. What separates him from 1/2 is concern for civilians aimed at Israel’s conduct: after the World Central Kitchen strike he said the U.S. must push Israel “to heighten its deconfliction measures” for aid groups, though he paired that with “Israel has every right to defend itself,” and in October 2025 he cosponsored H.Res.473, Pramila Jayapal’s resolution calling for urgent humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. In September 2025 he was one of 178 House Democrats on the Schneider–Raskin letter warning Israel’s leaders that annexing West Bank territory would “violate international law,” a letter signed as “long-standing supporters” of Israel that stays within the two-state frame. He also voted against the bill forcing the paused bomb shipment (May 2024) and the 2026 anti-boycott bill, and on the July 15, 2026 Massie amendment he voted Present rather than No, calling it overly broad. Counter-case: 1/2, since he paired his World Central Kitchen remark with Israel’s right to defend itself, his campaign’s ceasefire call includes “the destruction of Hamas,” and his concern is a general principle rather than a charge about how Israel fights.
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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).