Beyond Washington: What the 2026 State Elections Mean for Early Care and Education

The midterm elections are only about a week away and millions of ballots have already been cast via early voting. Much of the attention has been focused on the federal elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. As a reminder, currently Republicans hold a slim advantage in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate. According to current polling, Democrats are expected to take control of the House of Representatives while Senate control could come down to the wire. 

While control of Congress will be important for early education advocates who care about things like federal funding levels for CCDBG and Head Start, it’s at the state and local levels where much of early education policy is created and implemented. Out of the 99 state legislative chambers across the country, the upcoming election will determine the make-up of 88 of the 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.

Perhaps nowhere will the state and local stakes be higher than in the 36 governor’s races on the ballot this November. In all, 19 states do not have an incumbent governor running and will inaugurate a new governor in January, the highest rate of governor turnover since 2010. Of the 36 governor’s races, 31 new or returning governors will hold the authority to shape the direction of their state board of education by appointing at least one member of the board. Generally, state boards of education set academic standards, approve curriculum frameworks, and oversee teacher licensing — meaning a governor’s board appointments can quietly shape education priorities, including for early childhood programs, for years beyond their own term in office. Additionally, 15 of the new or returning governors will have the power to appoint their chief state school officer with confirmation from their state senate. The chief state school officer, sometimes called the state superintendent or commissioner of education, leads the state education agency responsible for administering federal early childhood programs, such as the Preschool Development Grant B-5 program, and overseeing state pre-K systems, making this one of the most consequential early education appointments a governor can make.

Of the 36 governor’s races on the ballot, there are three in particular that are worth highlighting because of the focus early education issues have received during the campaign. In Georgia, the race is between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta, against Republican former businessman Rick Jackson. Bottoms and Jackson are competing to replace outgoing Republican incumbent Brian Kemp who is out due to term limits. 

Bottoms has made a push for mandatory kindergarten and universal pre-K for four-year-olds via the current mixed delivery system as a major part of her campaign platform. She has proposed allowing voters to weigh in on a constitutional amendment that would authorize casino gambling throughout the state to fund universal pre-K and other early learning programs (the state’s pre-K program, which serves 53 percent of the state’s four-year-olds, is already funded via lottery revenues). If approved, Bottoms estimates that casino gambling would produce $300-500 million per year in additional tax revenues (for perspective, the most recent state budget allocated about $594 million for pre-K). 

For his part, Rick Jackson has praised Georgia’s current pre-K system while vowing to make the state nationwide leader in childhood literacy. He has also promised a push for the state to match the $1,000 “Trump Accounts” for children that were established at the federal level as part of the 2025 reconciliation law. According to the latest polls, the race is a dead heat and could go either way. Currently, Republicans control both the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives and that is expected to remain the case after the election.

Wisconsin is another state where early education issues have been front and center due to voter concerns about affordability. The incumbent governor, Democrat Tony Evers, opted not to seek a third term. The general election race is between Democrat David Crowley, the county executive of Milwaukee, and Republican Tom Tiffany, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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. Additionally, Crowley has expressed enthusiasm for direct financial assistance to providers similar to what was established during the pandemic through the Child Care Counts program.

Tiffany, on the other hand, has called for holding down property taxes and overall state spending. He has vowed to help child care providers by cutting “unnecessary regulations,” but has yet to specify which regulations should be reformed. Tiffany has also called to reverse the “400-year veto” enacted by Governor Evers that would extend school funding increases for an additional 400 years.

The latest polls reveal this to be a close race, with Crowley holding a small lead. Republicans currently hold majorities in both the state senate and state assembly, but ultimate control will likely come down to the outcomes of just a few key districts.

Finally, New Mexico has received considerable attention over the last few years because of the actions of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s push to make it the first state to offer free, universal child care. Governor Lujan Grisham cannot run again due to term limits, so the competition to replace her is between Democrat Deb Haaland, former Secretary of the Interior under President Biden, and Gregg Hull, mayor of Rio Rancho, the state’s third-largest city.

Haaland has emphasized her plans to protect and expand the universal child care established under the current governor, even recently appearing on the stump with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a major proponent of universal child care. Haaland has repeatedly expressed admiration toward the state’s push for universal child care and has vowed to boost its capacity. Haaland has also promised to increase the size of the state’s child tax credit.

Hull has promised to immediately evaluate the viability of the universal child care program once elected. He has emphasized the importance of targeting families with low incomes who have the highest need for child care and potentially charging co-pays for families with higher incomes who want to use the program.

The latest polls show Haaland with a single-digit lead over Hull. Democrats currently control majorities in both the New Mexico Senate and House of Representatives.

It’s also worth pointing out that many localities are looking to use this election to join the growing number of states and localities turning to dedicated funding streams to fund ECE since they generally offer more consistent, predictable funding compared to relying on yearly appropriations. Residents of Boulder, Colorado, will be asked to approve a property tax hike to generate about $30 million a year to expand early education. St. Louis voters will decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund grants to providers and child care subsidies for families while San Antonio residents will decide whether to renew and extend the existing sales tax that supports Pre-K 4 SA, the city’s public pre-K program. Finally, voters in Marin County, California, will vote on approving a special parcel tax to generate $12.5 million annually for funding child care subsidies and facilities expansion, while Baltimore voters will decide whether to create a Baltimore Baby Fund from existing property tax revenues that would be designed to assist families with newborns in the city.

Moments of political transition are also moments of opportunity. Incoming leaders will face real choices about how to invest in and structure early childhood systems, and the decisions they make in their first months in office can shape the landscape for years to come. For state and local policymakers looking for guidance as they build or strengthen early education systems, New America has partnered with the Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on Insights to Action: Perspectives for Early Education Policy and Systems Change. The series highlights bright spots from across the country on everything from dedicated funding streams to workforce development and data infrastructure. For local leaders in particular, New America’s New Practice Lab has published Maximizing Impact Under Any Structure: Governance Lessons from Local Early Childhood Programs, a practical resource for policymakers and administrators designing or navigating local early childhood governance structures.