COLUMBIA — New data from Vote Mama Foundation, the nation’s leading organization on research and analysis of parents’ representation in politics, found that candidates at state and local levels across the country — including in South Carolina — are increasingly using Campaign Funds for Childcare (CFCC). CFCC is an essential tool that supports parents and caregivers of young children running for and serving in political office.
As of 2024, moms of minor children make up only 2% of the South Carolina General Assembly.
Vote Mama Foundation is the only organization tracking CFCC usage at the federal, state, and local levels. Today’s new numbers draw on state-level campaign finance records to unpack how candidates are using CFCC. The findings include:
- Total number of candidates using CFCC: 148
- Number of states with documented CFCC usage: 25
- Total CFCC spending from 2018 to 2025: $700,455.54
- Documented increase in CFCC spending from 2018 to 2025: 1,401%
Vote Mama Foundation’s analysis also found that CFCC particularly helped women and candidates of color run and serve:
- 58% of candidates using CFCC were women
- People of color made up 30% of candidates, but 79% of CFCC spending
- 17 states also allow use for official duties, and 18 states permit use for broader dependent care
Campaign Funds for Childcare has proven to be a game-changer for candidates at every level of office since 2018, after Vote Mama Foundation’s founder and CEO, Liuba Grechen Shirley, became the first woman in history to receive bipartisan, unanimous approval from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to use CFCC. This landmark federal policy decision has been replicated in 40 states and the nation’s capital, with more than ten states authorizing CFCC since Vote Mama Foundation’s 2024 report on federal usage
“The skyrocketing cost of childcare is a crisis in South Carolina, even outpacing college tuition. It's going to take moms at the decision-making table to pass the family-friendly policies South Carolinians need, yet mama representation in the legislature was only 2% as of 2024,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation. “Today's new data from Vote Mama Foundation provides a roadmap for how we make government more representative: Campaign Funds for Childcare is empowering everyday parents to represent their communities and bring their lived experience to the halls of power.”