Many leaders elected this November won by saying that families will be better off in the years ahead than the years behind. Voters voiced their rejection of more of the same. In 2024 exit polling, 80% of voters agreed that if we want policies that work better for families, we need different kinds of leaders than we have now making these decisions. Families expect to see real progress: voters want a government working with and for them — not one stirring more polarization. Our collective call is to find common ground and deliver solutions that respond to the concrete needs of families.

States are where budget decisions and policy implementation have impact — and accountability is measured. With 2024’s 11 newly-elected Governors and 36 gubernatorial elections in 2026, state governments have a timely opportunity to lead.

Ascend at the Aspen Institute has conducted 12 years of bipartisan election exit polling to test and track voter support on the most critical issues and solutions for families with low-income (defined as up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level). Findings show continued strong cross-party support for two-generation (2Gen) approaches to family economic security and well-being — those that focus on intentionally supporting children and the adults in their lives together. For example, parents dropping off children at a quality child care center connected to their own job training program opens doors of opportunity for two generations at once. This year’s polling, conducted by Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group, showed voter support for 2Gen approaches remains strong for four reasons.

One, voters know 2Gen is pragmatic. Nearly three-quarters of voters (73%) agree that if we want to ensure children in families with low incomes are successful in their early learning, then we have to also invest in their parents’ economic well-being. Helping half a family makes little sense: when every member of the family has support to thrive, they can do better together.

Two, 2Gen works in red, blue and purple states — including in red states like Georgia, where the Department of Early Care and Learning has partnered with the Technical College System to strengthen workforce pathways for young parents while their children access quality child care. These policies are rooted in evidence that a strong predictor of a family’s overall economic mobility is parental educational attainment. Leaders who want to make government more efficient can start by backing programs we know work. Don’t reinvent the wheel: find the wheels that are working locally and get them rolling across the nation.

Three, a hallmark of 2Gen policies is improving family outcomes by involving parents in developing the policies and programs that most impact them. In Colorado, the Family Voice Council has informed innovations in human services, early childhood and mental and behavioral health policies and services to improve outcomes for families. Across the country, such 2Gen approaches directly reflect parents’ needs and visions for their families.

Four, the tenets of 2Gen resonate with parents and non-parents alike. Two-thirds (67%) of parents say you have to invest in parental economic well-being to support children’s early-learning success, and 75% of non-parents agree. Support parents need, like education, career and skills training are wildly popular with the public. Leaders have an enormous ability to energize a broad constituency for these solutions.

In a time of seismic political shifts, leaders need to put family voices at the center. Governors have the opportunity to embed a 2Gen approach in their state budgets so that every dollar from education, health and labor departments delivers twice the impact by supporting whole families. As the federal government considers ways to maximize efficiency and effectiveness, they can look to states for inspiration.

In polls, 77% of people agreed, including two-thirds of Republicans, that it’s time to stop judging parents and start supporting them in ways that truly help families become financially stable. Locally, this provides opportunities to meet families where they are and where they dream, without judgement or red tape. This is good economic and family policy. As state and local officials look to their new terms in 2025, they would be wise to lead by putting families first — just as they have been promising to do.

Anne Mosle is the Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, which is a catalyst and convener for leaders working across systems and sectors to build intergenerational family prosperity and well-being by intentionally focusing on children and the adults in their lives together. Ascend focuses on equipping leaders with the data and information needed to create real, lasting change for families.