Taner Demirci Lopez
I · U.S. House, VA-7 · Tier 3/4
Tier 3/4, between “Pro-Israel, critical” and “Critical / conditions aid”
Libertarian nominee, a cultural advisor to federal agencies with a doctorate in theology. In the September 2026 VPM questionnaire he said the U.S. “should maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, but we should not finance other countries’ wars,” pledged “I would work to end U.S. financing of the war and use American diplomacy to encourage a durable peace acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians,” and called to “protect innocent civilians,” while stressing that “antisemitism has no place in our country.” Asked in iVoterGuide’s 2026 general-election questionnaire whether the U.S. relationship with Israel is important, Demirci Lopez answered: “Yes, the relationship with Israel is important because Israel has become a major military and nuclear power in the Middle East. However, it is not more important than our relationships with NATO members, with whom we have mutual defense commitments. Israel has no obligation to defend the United States if we are attacked. We should maintain strong and practical relationships with every powerful country in the world for the sake of our own national security.”
A 3/4 on a thin record. The pledge to end U.S. financing of the war is a withholding commitment that goes past conditioning offensive arms — the reach toward 4 — but it comes from a no-foreign-wars principle he applies equally to Ukraine, not from a Palestinian-rights or genocide framing, and it comes paired with keeping diplomatic ties and a peace “acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians.” In his iVoterGuide answers he would “End military aid to other countries” and “End foreign aid” altogether, which reaches missile defense as well, but that is a blanket rule for every country, argued on cost (“American taxpayers should not fund foreign wars while many citizens struggle to cover basic needs”) rather than on Israel’s conduct, so Tier 5 is not supported. Open to a flat 3 if the answer is read as generic libertarian non-intervention rather than an Israel-specific withholding pledge.
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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).