House Democrats are preparing to announce a “You Deserve Better” agenda containing initiatives they promise to pass if they win control of the House in November. Their challenge is regaining trust among the diverse Democratic base, union households, and working class swing voters who supported Donald Trump in 2024.

Stanley B. Greenberg argues that surveys conducted by Democracy Corps point toward two especially important priorities. Democrats should protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid while restoring the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit.

Greenberg discloses that his wife, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, is one of the principal sponsors of the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit. He also contends that Democrats can regain their majority only by embracing an economic populist and values agenda sought by white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian working class voters.

For the latest polling, Greenberg persuaded Randi Weingarten’s American Federation of Teachers and the Voter Participation Center, founded by Page Gardner, to add 500 oversamples of Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters. The research also included large samples of young voters and white working class women and men younger than 50.

Carlos Odio of Equis Labs oversaw the Hispanic surveys when the project launched, while Terrance Woodbury of HIT Strategies oversaw the Black surveys. Greenberg now oversees the surveys and produces the reports himself.

Democracy Corps conducted a national survey after the 2024 election involving 2,357 actual voters, including 528 Black voters, 503 Hispanic voters, and 314 Asian voters. The survey examined multiple reasons for the election result that returned Trump to office.

Respondents were asked to select the most important reasons to vote for Kamala Harris. Although the campaign discussed democracy and the risk of fascism, the leading reason across base groups was protecting the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.

The next major reason was “her help with the cost of living, like the monthly Child Tax Credit, the cost of housing and small business.” That response was especially powerful among groups that had received the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit.

Among Gen Z voters, 45% selected help with the cost of living as the leading reason to support Harris, while 39% selected protecting the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Among millennials, 35% chose help with living costs, four points behind protecting democracy and the fight over federal retirement programs.

Among Black voters, 50% selected Harris’s commitment to protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. The expanded monthly Child Tax Credit tied for second place, with 38% choosing it.

Help with the cost of living ranked third among white working class men younger than 50, with 39% selecting it. It tied for second among white working class women younger than 50, with about one third choosing it, while these working class swing voters represent 1 in 5 voters.

The survey also asked voters about “the higher monthly child tax credit that gave tax relief to poor, working and middle-class families with children.” About 80% of Black voters, white working class men younger than 50, Hispanic voters, and Asian voters gave the policy warm ratings.

The intensity of that support was also notable. The measure received “very warm” ratings from 64% of Black voters, 57% of Hispanic women, 55% of white working class men younger than 50, 53% of white union households, and 52% of Gen Z voters.

The expanded monthly Child Tax Credit had a major social impact during its brief implementation, according to Greenberg. It cut child poverty in half, reduced hunger by one quarter, and helped many working class families cover child care and other expenses.

Greenberg questions whether other surveys being considered by House Democratic leaders include sufficiently large samples of Black, Hispanic, and the youngest Gen Z voters. He also asks whether those surveys separately examine white working class voters younger than 50 and explicitly reference the larger monthly Child Tax Credit.

Another concern is whether the current extended Child Tax Credit in the Big Beautiful Bill is affecting perceptions of this form of tax relief. Greenberg argues that Democrats are right to confront the enormous trust problems that drove many voters toward Trump, but they cannot afford to overlook the working class yet again.