Ritesh Tandon
R · U.S. House, CA-17 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
His campaign site’s foreign-policy page (posted by 2024 and still up) faults his opponent’s “naive positions on no retaliation against Houthi rebels and an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza,” calls Rashida Tlaib “openly pro-Hamas” and says “Israel is suffering!” and “We must help Israel get rid of the hateful Hamas and its supporters. I feel for the innocent casualties of the Palestinian people. The situation is tragic, and the only solution lies in the hearts of the two peoples.” It also asks, “How can we convince Palestinians to stop teaching their kids to hate Jews and to destroy them in order for themselves to survive?” On iVoterGuide in 2024 he called the U.S.-Israel relationship “a significant aspect of U.S. foreign policy due to the combination of shared values, mutual strategic interests, and the complex dynamics of the Middle East”; in 2022 he answered “Neutral” on the BDS movement (“This is a complicated subject and needs a wider discussion”), and in 2020 he answered “Disagree” to supporting BDS against Israel “if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.” His long foreign-policy statement on Ballotpedia covers Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan and faults past U.S. support for authoritarian regimes, but does not mention Israel, Gaza or Palestinians.
A 1/2. Tandon backs Israel’s war in his own words. His campaign site’s foreign-policy page, posted by 2024 and still up, says “We must help Israel get rid of the hateful Hamas and its supporters,” faults his opponent’s “naive positions” on “an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza” and calls Rashida Tlaib “openly pro-Hamas.” The page adds, “I feel for the innocent casualties of the Palestinian people,” but that concern sits beside his support for the war and his opposition to a ceasefire, and beside a question about how to “convince Palestinians to stop teaching their kids to hate Jews.” As a challenger he has no votes or Israel legislation to weigh, and no money from the counted pro-Israel committees. On a modest record: that one page and three questionnaire answers from his 2020–2024 runs. Counter-case: a 2, on the casualties line, the page’s question of how Palestinians can “achieve their rights peacefully,” and his 2022 “Neutral” on the BDS movement (“a complicated subject”); but in 2020 he answered “Disagree” to BDS even against an Israel that blocks a Palestinian state.
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).