Aaron Baker is fed up. Specifically, he is fed up with a “Representative” who does not live in the district he represents and is so focused on supporting Israel, that even AIPAC seemingly stopped endorsing him for his radicalism. Randy Fine, the Floridian Representative in question, has been widely condemned for openly cheerleading for genocide in Palestine. In a recent interview on Breaking Points, Baker was asked about Rep. Fine and used the opportunity to describe him as a man of poor character whose extreme positions make him unfit for office (watch the full exchange below).
Randy Fine, who told Palestinian children to starve away, has been condemned by fellow Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Now, Aaron Baker is challenging Rep. Fine for the Republican nomination for Florida’s 6th Congressional District.
After discovering his campaign while scrolling through X, I had a few questions. What I wanted to know most was how this potential Representative differed from Rep. Fine on foreign policy. Looking at his website, it is clear that Aaron Baker wants peace between Israel and neighboring countries, but also believes Israel has a right to “self-defense”. Many politicians use the “Israel’s self-defense” narrative as a cover for pro-Israel extremism. However, Baker has been extremely critical of Israel and Rep. Fine’s closeness with Israel and the Israel Lobby. Therefore, I found it appropriate to reach out to Baker for a few clarification questions on his foreign policy views. He gave permission to publish his beliefs in his own words, and I found his responses both interesting and promising.
Baker’s 2026 campaign for Florida’s Congressional District 6 marks his second primary race against Randy Fine. In the 2025 special election in the district, Baker received 14% of the vote with very few donors or media coverage. Now, in the later months of 2025, much has changed on the US political right. For starters, influential conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, who were both friendlier to Israel in previous decades, have become critics of the Netanyahu government and, especially, its Iran war. As discontent for Israel on the right has grown in popularity and importance, it is vital to give a voice to outsider candidates like Baker who have differing opinions from the GOP establishment. This is especially true for candidates who have the potential to accrue thousands of votes in primary elections. Baker may even be able to unseat Rep. Fine in 2026 which would prove that it is possible to beat AIPAC in GOP primaries.
I asked Baker several questions that I believe matter deeply to anti-war voters.
While I thought that I would likely receive a standard reply, Baker went into detail about what he believed.
Not only did he say that he would have voted for MTG’s resolution to block 500 million in additional military aid to Israel, he also condemned Israel’s actions as genocide and, presumably, condemned Randy Fine as a supporter of genocide. Such a critique of Israel is rare even in Israel-skeptic GOP circles. However, defensive weapons still help Israel as every dollar we spend on defensive weapons for Israel, Israel can use to fund its genocide in Gaza.
While I am not sure how a peaceful Palestine without Hamas can possibly exist while Israel is committing genocide, the answer is more pressure on Israel which Baker seems to understand. Hamas has already stated that it will step down and relinquish power if Israel allows for the Palestinian people to have their own independent state. While I and likely most anti-war voters are not fully satisfied with Baker’s answer, he certainly understands that the solution is greater leverage on Israel. Unfortunately, not all Republican candidates are a Thomas Massie or an MTG.
Ultimately, it is up to the Republican voters of Florida’s 6th Congressional District to decide who represents them better. On one side, we have an Israel First radical who spends his time in Israel instead of in his congressional district (which he doesn’t even live in). On the other hand, we have an America First candidate who rejects Israeli influence over politics. This race presents an overall question that the American right will have to reckon with: how can conservatives and right-wing populists back a nation whose interests run counter to the United States?
J.D. Hester is an independent writer born and raised in Arizona. He has previously written for Antiwar.com, Front Porch Republic, and CounterCurrents.org. You can send him an email at josephdhester@gmail.com. Follow him on X @JDH3ster.
