Ralph Ambrosio
R · U.S. House, NY-20 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
In a July 16, 2026 release condemning Paul Tonko's Israel votes and rhetoric, he said that “To couple essential security funding with demands that undermine an ally's right to defend itself is unacceptable,” that characterizing “Israel’s defensive actions as genocidal” is rhetoric “that mirrors antisemitic tropes,” and that New York needs a representative “who understands that the U.S.-Israel relationship is non-negotiable.” At an October 15, 2026 debate he called Tonko’s description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide “an obscenity” and said “I would never abandon Israel, ever.” At the same debate he said “People are getting killed in Gaza, but I put that at the doorstep of Hamas,” that “Israel has tried mightily to limit the damage of civilians,” and “I feel very badly about that,” beside “I am all in favor in giving them the necessary tools they need to defend themselves.”
A 1/2, not a clean 1. His Israel statements are zero-daylight: he calls coupling security aid with demands that “undermine an ally’s right to defend itself” unacceptable, says the genocide characterization “mirrors antisemitic tropes” (at an October 15, 2026 debate he called it “an obscenity”), and treats the alliance as non-negotiable — the reliable-support profile. His one remark on Gaza’s dead, at the October 2026 debate, lays them “at the doorstep of Hamas” and credits Israel with trying “mightily to limit the damage of civilians,” so it is not the daylight that would make him a flat 2. As a challenger with no Israel legislation, fundraising operation or hardline brand, he has no leadership on the issue; attacking an opponent's votes is positioning. Open to a flat 2 if he voices concern for Gaza’s civilians that stands apart from Israel’s self-defense.
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).