Executive Summary

September 2026
 

Working-class jobs—manual labor, service industry, clerical, and informal sector jobs—make up more than half of the U.S. labor force, but people from those jobs almost never go on to hold elected office in the United States. Their absence from the halls of power harms trust in government, runs contrary to our most cherished ideals, and diminishes our government’s capacity to understand and respond to the needs of working-class people. The barriers keeping workers out are inherent to nearly all elections: running for office is personally burdensome, working-class people are less likely to be able to shoulder those burdens, and political gatekeepers know it and pass over potential working-class candidates. The time is right for party and interest-group programs to identify, recruit, train, and support working-class candidates; for campaign finance reforms that help workers pay personal expenses while running for office; and for new institutions that ensure that people from working-class jobs always have a seat at the table in our government. This report outlines reform blueprints for parties, unions, interest groups, funders, and policymakers.