In the aftermath of the midterms, a loose network of mayors and county officials who once experimented with handing residents unconditional monthly cash has seen several of its members rise to higher office. Their rise carries a quiet question the country has not settled: whether a idea born of emergency pandemic relief can outlast the money that first sustained it. Cook County's decision to fund guaranteed income from its own budget stands as the clearest answer so far, though whether taxes in ordinary times can carry what federal dollars once did remains open.
Former Guaranteed Income Mayors Win Higher Office as Cash-Assistance Advocates Push for Permanent Policy
Cook County set aside $7.5 million after federal money ran out
Mark
Why are advocates treating these elections as a victory?
Mimi
Because several people who ran local cash pilots now hold higher office. Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia is the biggest name, and Biss, Cognetti, Miller and Jawando round out the group.
Mark
Does winning mean voters chose guaranteed income?
Luke
Not necessarily. The coalition says polling shows majority support, but that's MGI's characterization, and the piece doesn't cite the polls. El-Sayed's campaign centered on healthcare and wages as well.
Mark
What about the ballot measures?
Mimi
The report says voters approved multiple direct-cash measures, but doesn't name them or give vote counts.
Luke
Right, so that's a claim we can't size from this reporting.
Mark
Where does the money question stand?
Mimi
Cook County set aside $7.5 million in its fiscal 2026 budget after ARPA money ran out. That's the model advocates cite.
Luke
It's one county, and $7.5 million is small. Whether others can fund this with local taxes is unanswered.
Mark
Did the winners comment?
Luke
No. Biss, Cognetti and the others didn't respond, so we don't know their plans.
Mimi
Hashash's note on the Child Tax Credit is the nearest signal, with eight of 10 new Democratic senators on record supporting it.
El Pulso
- Five former guaranteed income mayors and partner officials have won higher office, lifting a movement that once operated in local pilots.
- Federal pandemic relief money has run out, leaving programs exposed to the harder question of who pays for them.
- Cook County has committed $7.5 million from its own budget, making it a test of whether direct cash can survive without emergency funds.
- Advocates are pressing Congress and states to turn direct-cash policies, including the Child Tax Credit, into permanent law.
- Whether local taxes can sustain these programs over time is still unresolved, and no answer has yet emerged.
In the aftermath of the midterms, a loose network of mayors and county officials who once experimented with handing residents unconditional monthly cash has seen several of its members rise to higher office. Their rise carries a quiet question the country has not settled: whether a idea born of emergency pandemic relief can outlast the money that first sustained it. Cook County's decision to fund guaranteed income from its own budget stands as the clearest answer so far, though whether taxes in ordinary times can carry what federal dollars once did remains open.
In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms, a founding member of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, was elected governor, becoming the first Black woman to lead the state. Her victory is the most visible of several that advocates of direct cash assistance are pointing to after the midterms.
According to the coalition, five former members, along with officials from partner organizations, won higher office, and voters approved multiple direct-cash ballot measures across the country. MGI President Michael D. Tubbs, a former Stockton mayor, says support has grown steadily since the first pilot in 2019 and hopes the new Congress will make guaranteed income permanent.
Cook County is the sharpest test. After federal relief money expired, its Board of Commissioners approved $7.5 million for guaranteed income in the fiscal year 2026 budget, which officials describe as the first permanent county-level program in the nation. Whether programs like it can last without emergency money is the question now hanging over the movement.
Advocates are also looking to Washington and state capitals, pointing to Michigan's new Senate winner and to strong support for the Child Tax Credit among incoming Democrats. What comes next is whether that support becomes permanent federal policy, and how places like Cook County will pay for their programs.
In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, was elected governor, the first Black woman to lead the state. She is also a founding member of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, and her win is the most prominent of several that advocates of direct cash assistance are now pointing to after the midterms.
According to the coalition, five former members of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), along with officials from partner organizations, won higher office. Voters also approved multiple direct-cash ballot measures around the country. MGI President Michael D. Tubbs, who was mayor of Stockton, California, from 2017 to 2021, told Fox News Digital that support has grown steadily since the first pilot launched in 2019. He said earlier polling showed a majority of voters back direct, unconditional cash assistance, and that champions of local programs have now moved up. He added that he hopes the newly elected Democratic House and Senate will prioritize affordability and make guaranteed income permanent.
Two current MGI members won seats in the U.S. House. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss was elected in Illinois' 9th District, and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti won Pennsylvania's 8th. Neither responded to a request for comment.
The sister network, Counties for a Guaranteed Income, which Tubbs also founded, saw two prominent members win. Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller was elected to represent Illinois' 2nd District. Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, a founding member of the network, was elected Montgomery County Executive in Maryland. None of the newly elected officials responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Cook County is the clearest test of whether these programs can last. Officials there described it as the first permanent county-level guaranteed income program in the nation. After federal American Rescue Plan Act money expired, the Board of Commissioners approved $7.5 million for guaranteed income in its fiscal year 2026 budget. Tubbs has said the federal government should follow that lead with a national direct-cash program. In March he cited wars in Iran, regime change in Venezuela, the healthcare system and the "big, ugly bill" as signs of a frayed safety net, and said inflation and unaffordability are the result of government policy.
MGI says guaranteed basic income has spread widely, with more than 100 pilots launched since 2018. The coalition now includes more than 150 mayors and promotes pilots paying eligible participants as much as $1,000 a month with no spending restrictions. It also notes that more than 60 bills involving similar cash-based policies have been introduced across 15 states. Still, with pandemic relief dollars drying up, it remains an open question whether local governments can fund permanent programs through local taxes.
Other groups are pressing for state and federal action. The Economic Security Project, founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs, activists and philanthropists, has backed more than 100 pilots. Its Director of Cash Initiatives, Shafeka Hashash, pointed Fox News Digital to a post on the results. She highlighted Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed won the U.S. Senate race on the tagline "Money out of politics. Money in your pocket." His platform centered on Medicare-for-all, a higher federal minimum wage and stronger safety net programs, and he has supported direct-cash efforts to reduce poverty. Cash advocates see his win as a key policy victory.
Hashash also noted that Ohio's Sherrod Brown, a longtime champion of the Child Tax Credit, returns to the Senate. She wrote that eight of the 10 new Democratic senators have gone on record supporting the credit and included it in their platforms. What to watch is whether the newly elected Congress turns that support into a permanent federal program, and how places like Cook County pay for theirs.
Citas Notables
Support for guaranteed income has been steadily growing since we launched the first pilot in 2019.— Michael D. Tubbs, MGI President
Eight of the 10 new Democratic senators are on the record supporting the Child Tax Credit and included it in their platforms.— Shafeka Hashash, Economic Security Project
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