Gerardo Serrano
I · U.S. House, KY-5 · Tier 2/3
Tier 2/3, between “Mainstream pro-Israel” and “Pro-Israel, critical”
Writing “as a Jew” on his campaign site in August 2026, he says Americans may ask “why American taxpayers should continue financing” Israel’s course, that the U.S. has no “divine obligation to finance every military decision made by the government of Israel,” and that America’s answer to Netanyahu can be: “That is your decision. Now pay for it.” A Jackson County farmer and three-time Republican primary challenger to Rep. Hal Rogers, he runs as an “America First” independent on civil-asset-forfeiture reform, war powers and spending. Asked in iVoterGuide’s 2026 general-election questionnaire whether the U.S. relationship with Israel is important, Serrano answered: “Yes. Israel is an important diplomatic, intelligence, and trading partner. However, friendship does not mean blank checks, automatic military involvement, or allowing any foreign government to influence American policy. Our relationship must respect the sovereignty, Constitution, security, and financial interests of the United States.”
A 2/3, on a thin record: one campaign post and one questionnaire answer. Writing “as a Jew” in August 2026, after Netanyahu rejected a Trump plan for Gaza, he says the U.S. has no “divine obligation to finance every military decision made by the government of Israel,” and that America’s answer can be: “That is your decision. Now pay for it.” That ends U.S. military financing while leaving Israel free to buy its weapons, argued on sovereignty and spending, not on Israel’s conduct in Gaza. His 2026 iVoterGuide answer calls Israel “an important diplomatic, intelligence, and trading partner,” adding that “friendship does not mean blank checks, automatic military involvement, or allowing any foreign government to influence American policy.” He says Americans “should oppose the killing of innocent people whether they are Jewish, Palestinian, Christian, Muslim, or anything else,” but he does not name the genocide or address arms sales or defensive systems. Counter-cases: 3, since “Now pay for it” ends U.S. military financing outright; 2, since the argument is about who pays, and Israel could still buy U.S. weapons.
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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).