New Research Shows Supporting Guaranteed Child Care Is a Win for Democratic Candidates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2026
Contact: Hilary Woodward, hilary@childcareforeveryfamilyaction.org

Washington, D.C. — According to new research from Global Strategy Group (GSG), nearly three-quarters (72%) of the electorate supports creating a new system that would guarantee child care options that meet the needs of all families. 

Said Matt Canter, partner at GSG, “Child care is a galvanizing issue for voters right now, overcoming partisanship. And voters are eager for Democratic candidates to propose visionary child care solutions for families. Candidates who endorse guaranteed child care receive significant additional support among voters across the board, including among independents and other key demographics and geographies that would otherwise not be considered competitive for Democrats.”

Read the polling memo here and see below for key highlights: 

Supporting guaranteed child care provides Democratic candidates the unique opportunity to win in an expanded map in 2026:

  • Voters choose a Democrat who supports creating a new system that would guarantee child care options that meet the needs of all families over a Republican who opposes doing so by 19 points (55% Democrat/36% Republican).

  • Among independent voters, this margin increases to 26 points (55% Democrat/29% Republican).

  • Importantly, a Democrat who supports guaranteed child care performs better than a generic Democrat both overall (+13 net lift compared to generic) and among key groups, including voters of color (+8 net lift), independents (+14 net lift), younger voters (+23 net lift), and Southern voters (+25 net lift).

In addition voters offer strong support for pro-child care policies:

  • Voters want to guarantee benefits for child care workers, to help ensure we can recruit and retain workers in this field so all families have child care options (85% support).

  • Voters across parties want to ensure children with disabilities and other needs have access to care and services (95% support) and want to expand child care in rural communities and places where child care is difficult to access (84% support).

Global Strategy Group, in partnership with SEIU, MomsRising Together, Child Care for Every Family Action, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, and Vote Mama Lobby, conducted a survey of 800 likely 2026 voters nationwide between September 8 and September 13, 2026. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.5%. Care was taken to ensure the geographic, political, and demographic divisions of the population of likely voters are properly represented. 

Child Care for Every Family Action is a national movement and campaign to transform child care, representing 2,000+ child care providers, impacted families, state and national organizations, and organizers across the country.