Election wins affirm support for 25 dollar minimum wage
Following Tuesday's Democratic victories, Saru Jayaraman, president and co-founder of One Fair Wage and One Fair Wage Action, is available for interviews. She will address what the results mean for working people, why affordability dominated campaigns, and the mandate Democrats now hold to deliver concrete economic change.
One Fair Wage Action's preliminary election-night tally shows 18 of 25 endorsed candidates who supported a $25 federal minimum wage won their races, with four contests still undecided. Victories included Juliana Stratton in Illinois, Randy Villegas in California, and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania.
New polling underscores voter emphasis on higher pay. The 2026 Midterm Election Voter Poll by BSP Research with the African American Research Collaborative, surveying more than 10,000 voters, found 81% of Black voters and 71% of Latino voters rated delivery of a $25 living wage as very important or a top priority. Cost of living and inflation ranked in the top three issues for all five racial and ethnic groups. A separate BSP Research survey for UnidosUS found 77% of working-class Latino adults, including 70% of working-class Latino Republican registered voters, support gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour.
Jayaraman stated of the moment: “What was extraordinary about this election was seeing candidates across the country win while explicitly campaigning to raise people's paychecks, not just lower their bills. Workers have been telling us for years that everything costs too much and their wages are too low. Now the polling reinforces how important a living wage is to voters. Democrats have a mandate, but that mandate comes with an obligation to deliver. Working people cannot afford another round of promises. They need a $25 living wage, an end to subminimum wages, and an economy where one job is enough to live on. If Democrats want to demonstrate that democracy works, they need to put more money in people's pockets.” She sees the results as proof that an affordability crisis cannot be solved without addressing the wage crisis.
Jayaraman recommends Democrats prioritize the Living Wage For All Act from the start of the new Congress. The legislation would raise the federal minimum wage to at least $25 an hour and end subminimum wages for tipped and other workers, ensuring paychecks cover basic needs alongside lower costs for housing, health care, and child care.
Jayaraman links the election to her new book, What Has Democracy Done for Me Lately?, co-authored with Rayan Semery-Palumbo. The work argues that economic inequality has eroded trust in democratic institutions and that restoring faith requires tangible gains in working people's lives rather than promises alone. It traces the Living Wage for All movement to show how bold campaigns can rebuild credibility by delivering real improvements. Millions of Americans work full time, often at two or three jobs, yet still cannot meet expenses, leaving democracy vulnerable when it fails to produce material results.
