Childcare Costs Weigh On Some Voters Before The Midterm Elections

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Childcare costs are a concern for some voters in Pennsylvania’s competitive 7th Congressional District, including two undecided Republican-leaning voters whose family budgets have been affected. Democrat Bob Brooks is calling for expanded public programs, while Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie has backed tax incentives; the report does not establish how much the issue will affect election results.

Childcare costs are influencing how some voters are weighing their choices before the midterm elections in Pennsylvania’s competitive 7th Congressional District, according to a report by The 74. The issue is putting pressure on household budgets and giving Democratic nominee Bob Brooks and Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie distinct proposals to discuss as they compete for a seat that could help determine control of Congress.

Jenny Escolastico, a mother of two children under 5 who lives outside Allentown, told The 74 she is staying home with her children partly because the cost of care would exceed what she would earn working full time. Her son attends state-funded prekindergarten, but returning to work would still require after-school care for him and full-time care for her daughter. Escolastico, who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, was weighing whether to vote Democratic in November.

Another Allentown-area voter, Lerin Hagenbuch, said childcare costs remain a leading concern even though her son is now in kindergarten. Hagenbuch, a registered Republican, told The 74 she had not decided how to vote. The report cited a Franklin and Marshall College poll showing about 16% of 7th District voters were undecided as of September; it did not say how many of those voters ranked childcare as a deciding issue.

Brooks has proposed universal prekindergarten, expanded full-day kindergarten, increased Head Start funding and broader eligibility for federal childcare assistance. Mackenzie has backed a tax-credit expansion for childcare expenses and employer incentives to provide or subsidize care. The tax provisions were folded into President Trump’s broader tax and spending legislation, according to the report.

Childcare as a District Campaign Issue

The district is one of the competitive House races that could affect which party controls Congress, making the concerns of undecided voters politically relevant. The report offers individual accounts, not evidence that childcare will determine the outcome or that it ranks above other voter concerns such as housing, food and fuel costs.

The policy contrast also gives voters a clear distinction to assess: Brooks is proposing expanded public programs, while Mackenzie’s approach relies more on tax benefits for families and employers. For households deciding whether a parent can work, or how much income remains after care bills, those differences can have direct consequences. The report does not estimate how either candidate’s proposals would change costs for families in the district.

How Federal Childcare Support Changed

The report places today’s cost concerns against a recent shift in federal support. During the pandemic, the federal government spent more than $50 billion to support the childcare industry, including funding for provider staffing, training, protective equipment and assistance to families. That aid later expired, with the last pandemic funding ending in 2024, according to The 74.

In 2021, then-President Joe Biden proposed subsidies intended to limit most families’ childcare payments to 7% of household income. Congress narrowly rejected the proposal. The report says the expiration of pandemic aid was followed by growing assistance waitlists, leaving some lower-income families to reduce work or cut other expenses to cover care.

National figures cited by The 74 help explain why the issue extends beyond this race. Child Care Aware of America reported that average full-time childcare costs in the United States exceeded $13,000 in 2025, and that costs rose faster than inflation from 2020 to 2024. An AP-NORC poll from June 2025 found about three-quarters of U.S. adults considered childcare costs a major problem; 64% supported federal provision of free or low-cost care for children too young for public school.

““Childcare is another rent, another car note.””

— Jenny Escolastico

The Issue’s Electoral Effect Is Unknown

The report does not show how many voters will change their choices because of childcare, whether the issue ranks among their top concerns, or how it compares with inflation, housing and other campaign topics. The September figure of about 16% undecided applies to voters in the district overall; it is not a measure of how many are undecided specifically because of childcare.

Details about the full election spending referenced in the source are incomplete: the provided material ends mid-sentence after the heading “$60 million in election spending boosts childcare issues.” It does not identify the group behind the spending, how the money was allocated, or which races and messages it covered. The candidates’ proposals also remain proposals; the report does not specify their projected costs, legislative prospects or effects on local childcare prices.

Voters Weigh Proposals Before Election Day

Brooks and Mackenzie are continuing to make their childcare approaches part of their campaigns as voters prepare for the November election. The next clear measure of the issue’s political weight will be whether campaigns, polling or election results show that voters treat childcare as a deciding concern, rather than one part of broader worries about household costs.

After the election, any change in childcare policy would depend on the outcome of the race and subsequent action by Congress or other levels of government. The available report does not provide a timetable for either candidate’s proposals to be considered or enacted.

Key Questions

Why are childcare costs part of the Pennsylvania 7th District race?

Some voters interviewed by The 74 said childcare strains their budgets and affects their ability to work. The district is competitive, and both candidates have put forward childcare-related proposals.

What is Democrat Bob Brooks proposing?

Brooks has campaigned for universal prekindergarten, expanded full-day kindergarten, more Head Start funding and wider eligibility for federal childcare assistance.

What childcare policies has Rep. Ryan Mackenzie backed?

Mackenzie has supported an expanded federal tax credit for childcare expenses and tax incentives for employers that provide or subsidize childcare. The report describes these as a more tax-focused approach.

How many voters in the district were undecided?

A Franklin and Marshall College poll cited by The 74 found about 16% of voters in the 7th District were undecided as of September. That figure does not show how many were undecided because of childcare costs.

Is it known whether childcare will decide the election?

No. The report describes voter concerns and campaign proposals but does not establish how much childcare will affect turnout or determine the result.

Source: rss