Shelley Moore Capito
R · U.S. Senate, West Virginia · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
A firm pro-Israel Republican: voted No on the Sanders arms resolutions, cosponsored the resolution condemning any withholding of weapons (“not conditional aid”) and the Stand with Israel Act — and her one humanitarian line runs the same way: on October 18, 2023 she asked Congress for “the support that Israel needs” — “both to properly defend themselves, and to provide the humanitarian resources needed for those whose lives have been decimated by a group that shows no mercy towards civilians, many of whom are women and children” — help framed as part of Israel’s support, for those harmed by Hamas; the speech never mentions Gaza or Palestinians. In a May 22, 2024 floor speech she voiced outrage at the ICC prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
A firm 1/2. She has a firm pro-Israel record: No on Sanders’s joint resolutions of disapproval to block arms sales to Israel, cosponsor of the anti-arms-withholding resolution (“not conditional aid”) and the Stand with Israel Act, outrage at the ICC warrants. She has voiced no concern for Palestinian civilians apart from blaming Hamas for their plight: in a May 2024 floor speech she said Hamas was “refusing to allow their Palestinian citizens to shelter” in its tunnels. Her October 18, 2023 floor speech is no exception: the “humanitarian resources” she asked for were one half of “the support that Israel needs” — “both to properly defend themselves, and to provide the humanitarian resources needed for those whose lives have been decimated by a group that shows no mercy towards civilians” — Hamas, not Israel's war on Gaza. Her October 7, 2025 anniversary statement mentions Gaza’s people only to say Hamas must decide whether it cares more about the “wellbeing of the people of Gaza” than its own power; the nearest she has come is an October 2025 radio remark, after the ceasefire, that coexistence would “certainly discontinue the destruction and loss of life that we’ve seen,” which names no Palestinians. With no concern for Gaza’s civilians on her record that is aimed at Israel’s conduct, she sits at 1/2.
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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).