Dem‑Aligned Group Plans $50 Million Midterm Push on Child and Elder Care
The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, a Democratic‑aligned advocacy group and PAC, says it will spend $50 million in the 2026 midterms to make child and elder care a central issue in congressional races. Announced March 17, the effort will target Senate contests in North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Maine and Ohio and House races in Iowa and Pennsylvania, pairing ad buys with volunteer voter outreach that links caregiving costs to the broader affordability squeeze. Executive director Sondra Goldschein argues that child care often costs more than rent or a mortgage and says pressure on the "sandwich generation" caring for both children and aging parents is increasingly shaping how people vote. The article notes that Republicans, while more engaged on child care than in past cycles, have backed narrower steps like expanded child care tax credits and employer incentives under President Donald Trump’s 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' while Democrats have pushed failed but more sweeping ideas such as universal pre‑K and capping child care costs at 7% of income. With pandemic‑era child care aid expired, waiting lists for federal subsidies growing, and family budgets already strained by Iran‑war‑driven gas prices, the move signals that well‑funded outside groups intend to elevate caregiving from a side issue to a core economic battleground in key 2026 races.
📌 Key Facts
- Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy plans to spend $50 million backing Democrats in 2026 congressional races focused on child and elder care.
- The group is targeting Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Maine and Ohio, and House races in Iowa and Pennsylvania, and will deploy volunteers to talk with voters about caregiving costs.
- The announcement comes as child care costs in many areas exceed housing costs, pandemic‑era child care aid has expired, and federal waiting lists for child care subsidies are growing.
📊 Relevant Data
In FY 2020, 49% of Black/African American children ages 0-13 were potentially eligible for child care subsidies under federal income limits, compared to 39% of Hispanic/Latino children, 22% of White children, and 18% of Asian children, with Black children overrepresented among eligible children (20% of eligible vs. 13% of total children).
Child Care Assistance Landscape: Inequities in Federal and State Policies and Investments — Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Only 17% of potentially eligible Black/African American children received child care subsidies under federal limits in FY 2020, compared to 7% of White and Hispanic/Latino children, and 4% of Asian children, despite higher eligibility rates for Black children.
Child Care Assistance Landscape: Inequities in Federal and State Policies and Investments — Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
In 2025, 94.1% of employed child care workers were women, with racial breakdowns of 69.6% White, 18.1% Black or African American (vs. 13% of U.S. population), 6.7% Asian (vs. 6%), and 24.4% Hispanic or Latino (vs. 19% of population).
Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Child care costs have increased due to higher operating expenses for providers, including labor costs and reduced government support, with prices rising 5.2% in September 2025, more than 1.5 times overall inflation.
The many costs of childcare — Bank of America Institute
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