Christopher Backemeyer
D · U.S. House, NE-1 · Tier 2
Tier 2, “Mainstream pro-Israel”
Asked in the Nebraska Examiner’s general-election voter guide how Congress should respond to international conflicts “including those involving China, Israel, Iran, Ukraine and Russia,” he wrote that it means “doing everything possible to help bring an end to the conflicts in Gaza, the broader Middle East and around the globe — including pushing for a two-state solution that disarms Hamas and ensures security for both Israelis and Palestinians”; the answer says nothing on aid or weapons. A former State Department and White House Iran official (a lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal), he runs on lower costs, ending tariffs, ethics reform and opposition to the 2026 Iran war.
A 2, on a thin record: one sentence in a 2026 voter-guide answer. Asked by the Nebraska Examiner how Congress should respond to international conflicts, he wrote of “doing everything possible to help bring an end to the conflicts in Gaza … including pushing for a two-state solution that disarms Hamas and ensures security for both Israelis and Palestinians.” That is the mainstream frame, an end to the fighting and a two-state outcome, with nothing on aid, weapons, conditions or the genocide. His site never mentions Israel, Gaza or Palestine; his other foreign-policy statements are about Iran, a war he says has “no clear strategy or rationale.” In September 2023, as a State Department Near East bureau official, he told a Capitol Hill Abraham Accords event that regional economic integration was an administration priority, an official role rather than a personal position. J Street endorses him and its PAC gave $500; FEC filings show no AIPAC, DMFI or CUFI money. Counter-cases: 1/2, since the one condition he names is disarming Hamas; unrated, since the whole record is one sentence.
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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).