James Marter
R · U.S. House, IL-14 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
An Oswego small-business owner, he was also the 2024 GOP nominee against Rep. Lauren Underwood, and his campaign has issued Israel-themed attacks on her since 2021. In October 2023 he said he supports Israelis “in their right to exist and defend themselves against their enemies”; in May 2024 he said non-citizen students “supporting terrorism and committing crimes in support of a terrorist organization, should be thrown out of our universities and deported immediately” and said “from the river to the sea” “literally means to kill all the Jews”; earlier releases backed Iron Dome funding (2021) and urged Congress to defund a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. Asked in iVoterGuide’s 2026 general-election questionnaire whether the U.S. relationship with Israel is important, Marter answered: “Yes. I support our ally, Israel. I strongly condemn the terrorist organization HAMAS and the heinous, evil, and barbaric acts of war against Israel and its people. I denounce Anti-Semitism and the rising threats against the Jewish people promoted by the radical left and radical Islam in American/World. I denounce the radical members of Congress who engage in Anti-Semitism. I call on my opponent Lauren Underwood to denounce the actions/statements of Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib & other members.”
A 1/2, not a clean 1. Five years of campaign releases show reliable, zero-daylight support for Israel — its right to defend itself, Iron Dome, opposition to a Palestinian consulate — with no concern expressed for Palestinian civilians, and he sits at the pro-Israel edge of 1/2 for how often he goes on offense, demanding that his opponent condemn critics of Israel and calling for the deportation of non-citizen student protesters he accused of supporting terrorism. But a challenger’s rhetoric is not leadership: he has authored nothing, led no investigation and brought in no marquee pro-Israel money, and his brand is broader “Faith, Family and Freedom” conservatism. Counter-case: a clean 1, if the sustained attack-release campaign is read as a brand built on hardline rhetoric.
Open the full card, with votes, money and every source, on elect26 →
elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).