Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Democrats see turning to a new type of candidate to give them an edge in the 2026 midterms: mothers of young children.<\/p>\n
JoAnna Mendoza, a single mother of a 9-year-old son, launched a bid to run in Arizona\u2019s Sixth Congressional District in February. Christina Hines, a mother of three, threw her hat in the ring for an open seat in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in April. And in Iowa, state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a mom of two, is vying for the state\u2019s 3rd Congressional District in May.<\/p>\n
Motherhood \u2014 once seen as a political liability \u2014 is becoming a key plank of campaign messaging for a new crop of Democratic candidates. Candidates are not just listing their credentials as former Marines or special victims prosecutors, but are also leaning into their experience raising a family in their pitch to voters.<\/p>\n
“Women candidates work so much harder than anyone else, and especially mothers, because they know how to really juggle and manage a lot of things, but they also know what’s at stake,\u201d said Trone Garriott, who said she raised $230,000 within the first 24 hours<\/a> of launching her congressional campaign that leans into her \u201cpublic school mom\u201d<\/a> persona.<\/p>\n And they have support from Vote Mama, a PAC dedicated to helping mothers of minor children get elected to public office. The group currently has 70 endorsed candidates and expects that number to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cMoms have had enough,\u201d said Liuba Grechen Shirley, who founded Vote Mama after her own unsuccessful run in 2018. \u201cOur policies fail moms.\u201d<\/p>\n The recent rush of political involvement from mothers follows past waves. Most famously, the sexual harassment allegations that dominated Clarence Thomas\u2019 Supreme Court nomination in the 1990s inspired a fresh crop of women running in 1992. But more recently, President Donald Trump\u2019s first presidential win inspired candidates in the 2018 midterms, and the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 pushed new grassroots groups to organize.<\/p>\n Despite some high-profile examples \u2014 former Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously raised five children before running for Congress \u2014 mothers of young children remain rare in elected office. Only 6.8 percent of the members of the 118th Congress were mothers of children under 18, compared to 24.2 percent being fathers of minor children, according to data released by Vote Mama<\/a>. At the state level, only 7.9 percent of all legislators are women with minor children.<\/p>\n Ahead of the 2026 midterms, groups like Vote Mama say they are seeing renewed energy from mothers frustrated by Republican-led efforts to slash funding to programs that support families, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.<\/p>\n But as more women enter public office, tensions arise with business as usual. Earlier this year, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and a bipartisan group of lawmakers<\/a> thrust motherhood into the spotlight with a push to allow proxy voting in the House \u2014 a move that drew aggressive criticism from conservatives and ultimately failed. \u201cShow up for work, or don\u2019t run for Congress,\u201d Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said in a post on X<\/a>. But Luna\u2019s campaign shows that there are signs of growing support for mothers serving in Congress.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is noticeable is that it started as a bipartisan effort, and because of that, I think that just helps show that this is not tied to your political party,\u201d said Gayle Goldin, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. \u201cThis is something that needs to be in effect for women, regardless of their political party.\u201d<\/p>\n Internal grapples with parental responsibilities has been one thing moms said they considered carefully. Hines, whose campaign was motivated by Trump\u2019s push to dismantle the Education Department<\/a>, said she weighed the potential toll her candidacy could have on her family before making the decision to run.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest hesitation is the fact that I do have three kids \u2014 they\u2019re nine, seven and four \u2014 and they are my biggest passion and love of my life,” Hines said. “The idea, not just of the campaign, but of winning and then being away from them, was something that was holding me back.\u201d<\/p>\n And motherhood is front and center for many candidates\u2019 messaging strategy. Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who recently announced a long-shot bid against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in May, said in her candidate announcement video<\/a>: “I’m literally a busy mom,” highlighting taking her kids to tae kwon do, dance and football.<\/p>\n But Andrews’ pitch to voters also aims to emphasize her blend of experience, highlighting her concerns as a doctor over Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s contested agenda. \u201cLike so many of you, I am worried about what the future holds for our kids,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n And some of these moms are already seeing early enthusiasm for their candidacies. Mendoza, who is running in Arizona, raised over $816,000 for her first-quarter FEC filing<\/a>, an impressive figure for a candidate seeking federal office for the first time. She’s also locked down endorsements from BOLD PAC<\/a>, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus\u2019 political arm, and VoteVets<\/a>, a progressive group that backs veterans running for office. <\/p>\n “We’re already in the political arena ready to go,” Mendoza said. “Some of these other candidates are outside the stadium trying to figure out how to get in.\u201d<\/p>\n