What the Midterm Election Results Mean for Early Care and Education

Votes are still being counted across the nation, but it’s clear that Tuesday’s election will usher in Democratic control of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives starting in January 2027. In a historic election that ushered in a new generation of lawmakers, Democrats won up and down the ballot nationally, gaining a comfortable majority of over 250 House seats and at least 54 Senate seats.

With that majority and the control of congressional committees that accompany it, expect Democrats to press for answers about the Trump administration’s continuing efforts to shut down the U.S. Department of Education (just today Ranking Member Bobby Scott sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon about the requirement to preserve documents for future oversight investigations.) Specifically, Democrats could use the appropriations process to prevent the department from moving staff and programs to other agencies as a result of interagency agreements. They could also attempt to use the appropriations process to pass language prohibiting funds from being used to implement specific provisions of the administration’s proposed Head Start rule, though that would still be subject to a presidential veto. In the short-term, the current Congress faces a December 11 deadline to pass at least a stopgap funding bill. 

Additionally, with affordability named by voters as their top concern, congressional Democrats are expected to introduce child care legislation that will outline their vision for improving access to affordable, high-quality care. In June, a group of Democratic lawmakers unveiled a framework for lowering child care costs while increasing access to high-quality programs. Once released, the legislation will likely resemble many aspects of the Child Care for Working Families Act previously introduced by Democrats.

With President Trump still wielding the veto pen for the next two years and the 60 Senate votes needed to overcome a filibuster, the Democratic-backed child care legislation will face obstacles to passage in the short-term. However, any child care legislation that has the support of a majority of congressional Democrats will play a role in influencing the campaign platforms of 2028 presidential hopefuls.

State-level election results are equally promising for Democrats. This election decided the exact make-up of 88 legislative chambers across 46 states, potentially determining the future of universal child care proposals, child care subsidy eligibility and copay rules, state pre-K funding levels, paid family leave programs, and early educator workforce investments. While results are still being finalized, it’s clear that Democrats have taken control of several state legislatures, including the state house in Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin as well as the state senate in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

At the gubernatorial level, there were several historic victories for Democrats, many of whom made early childhood education a key part of their appeal to voters. In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state. Bottoms made a push for mandatory kindergarten and universal pre-K for four-year-olds a major part of her campaign platform and wants to allow a vote on casino gambling to fund early education. Bottoms will take office with a Georgia Senate still controlled by Republicans but a Democratic state house after big wins in the state for Democrats.

In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley, the county executive of Milwaukee, will become the state’s first Black governor after defeating Republican Tom Tiffany. Democrats also won control of the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly, giving them a governing trifecta for the first time in over 16 years and significantly increasing the odds of making child care legislation a reality. Crowley has put forth a plan calling for universal early childhood education for children aged five and younger via Wisconsin Shares, the state’s child care subsidy program. He has also proposed capping child care costs not covered by subsidy at seven percent of a parent’s overall income.

In New Mexico, a state that made headlines for its push to offer free, universal child care under current Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Democrat Deb Haaland won easily. Haaland has emphasized her plans to protect and expand the universal child care established under Lujan Grisham and appeared on the stump with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a major proponent of universal child care. Haaland will be helped in her legislative push by a state House that could contain a Democratic supermajority.

Finally, several localities were hoping to use this election to join the growing number of states and localities establishing dedicated funding streams to fund ECE. In St. Louis, voters rejected a sales tax increase to fund grants to providers and child care subsidies. However, residents of Boulder, Colorado approved a property tax hike expected to generate about $30 million a year to expand early education. Also, voters in San Antonio, Texas overwhelmingly approved a renewal and extension of the existing sales tax that supports Pre-K 4 SA, the city’s public pre-K program. Additionally, voters in Baltimore, Maryland approved the creation of a baby fund to assist families with newborns in the city, and voters in Marin County, California approved a special parcel tax expected to generate $12.5 million annually for child care subsidies and facilities expansion.

The results are now in, but the work is just beginning. Sitting members of Congress will finish their terms through the end of the year, with the new Congress being sworn in on January 3, 2027. At the state level, newly elected governors and state legislators will also take office in January, with most state legislative sessions beginning shortly thereafter. For early childhood advocates, the window between now and January is an important period as it’s an opportunity to brief incoming lawmakers, build relationships with new legislative staff, and lay the groundwork for the policy priorities that will define the next two years.