FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 04, 2026
CONTACT: Daniela Perez, [email protected]
Care in Action Celebrates Keisha Lance Bottoms as First Black Woman Governor in U.S. History, Midterm Wins Across Six States
Care in Action’s 2026 electoral program invested in Southern communities where generations of Black women have fought for recognition, fair wages, and stronger workplace protections
ATLANTA – Following the 2026 midterm elections, Care in Action, an organization advocating for affordable, high-quality child care, disability care, and aging care, is celebrating major electoral wins across the country, including the historic election of endorsed candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black woman governor in U.S. history, flipped seats in North Carolina and South Carolina, and additional victories for endorsed candidates across six states.
The election marks a full-circle moment for Care in Action, founded in Georgia in 2017, a state with deep roots in the domestic worker movement. Care in Action endorsed its first slate of candidates in 2018, all women of color running for office across Georgia, including Stacey Abrams for governor. That early organizing helped lay the groundwork for greater political representation, including Nikema Williams’ election to Congress. Nearly a decade later, Care in Action supported Keisha Lance Bottoms through one of the largest independent expenditure programs backing her gubernatorial campaign, marking another historic chapter in Georgia’s political history.
Ahead of the midterms, Care in Action endorsed more than 30 candidates, with a particular focus on Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, where our endorsed candidates flipped legislative seats in both Carolinas. The organization’s sustained investment in the South reflects the region’s history of Black women’s labor and organizing, particularly among domestic workers who were historically excluded from basic workplace protections. Today, 61% of domestic workers in the South are women of color.
Jenn Stowe, Executive Director of Care in Action, issued the following statement:
“At Care in Action, we have seen political power and potential where others haven’t. We are a movement rooted in domestic workers and care workers whose labor is essential to our economy, yet whose contributions and political power have too often been undervalued, underestimated, and overlooked. We see that same potential in Black women, women of color, and communities across the South that traditional political campaigns have too often counted out. That’s why we have spent the past decade investing our resources, talent, and organizing in these communities, even when others have turned away from the South. We were founded in Georgia with the belief that Black women, women of color, and working families are key to the electorate, and today we are witnessing the future they believe in come into view.
Today, we’re celebrating Keisha Lance Bottoms making history as the first Black woman elected governor in the United States, alongside flipped seats in North Carolina and South Carolina and important wins across the country. These results reflect what years of organizing and sustained investment can make possible.
The lesson for Democrats is clear: workers and communities too often overlooked hold enormous political power, and recognizing that potential requires sustained investment. Domestic workers and the families who depend on care know firsthand what’s at stake when wages don’t keep up with living costs, workplace protections are weakened, and quality care is out of reach. Their experiences and priorities belong at the center of our politics. We look forward to working with newly elected leaders to turn that political power into meaningful progress, with better care jobs, stronger protections, and affordable care for every family.”
Among Care in Action’s endorsed candidates who won their races are:
Georgia
- Keisha Lance Bottoms for Governor
- Jon Ossoff for U.S. Senate
- Nikema Williams for U.S. House, District 5
- Laura Murvartian for State Senate, District 48
- Michelle Kang for State House, District 99
- Tangie Herring for State House, District 145
South Carolina
- Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate
- Jim Clyburn for U.S. House, District 6
- Clay Middleton for State House, District 116
North Carolina
- Roy Cooper for U.S. Senate
- Anita Earls for North Carolina Supreme Court
- Don Davis for U.S. House, District 1
- Lisa Grafstein for State Senate, District 13
- Haseeb Fatmi for State Senate, District 18
- Woodson Bradley for State Senate, District 42
- April Cook for State Senate, District 34
- Evonne S. Hopkins for State House, District 35
- Winn Decker for State House, District 37
- Thomas Monks for State House, District 73
Virginia
- Shannon Taylor for U.S. House, District 1
- Jennifer McClellan for U.S. House, District 4
Pennsylvania
- Bob Brooks for U.S. House, District 7
- Janelle Stelson for U.S. House, District 10
New York
- Cait Conley for U.S. House, District 17
Care in Action’s endorsements reflect the priorities of domestic workers across six states, home to nearly 500,000 domestic workers. Domestic workers earn a median annual income of just $20,926. Home care is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country, yet workers earn an average of $23,655 annually, with more than half relying on public assistance. The election came at a critical moment for the nation’s 2.5 million domestic workers, who face the rollback of federal wage and overtime protections, increased immigration enforcement, rising living costs, and threats to Medicaid and other essential programs.
As newly elected leaders prepare to take office, Care in Action will continue advocating for good care jobs with fair wages, paid leave, and strong worker protections, alongside affordable child care, accessible health care, and a strong Medicaid program that supports workers and families alike.
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Care in Action is the policy and advocacy home for women who care, working on behalf of more than two million domestic workers and care workers across America. Among the fastest-growing sectors in our economy, domestic workers are also among the most vulnerable and undervalued. As a mostly women and majority women of color workforce, this growing constituency consistently and overwhelmingly supports progressive values in American political life. Learn more at www.careinaction.us.