Democratic governors are synthesizing this fall’s races into one central strategic challenge. When moderate and Independent voters head to the polls, this question should frame their decision: do we go forward with an economic course that puts the middle class first or do we go backward to the failed ideas that got us here in the first place?

To frame this choice, Third Way and the Democratic Governors Association have embarked on an ambitious pro-growth policy agenda designed to help the middle class get ahead. What we’ve developed—through intensive research into what works and what doesn’t, polling and conversations with voters—is a Success Agenda for the Middle Class that directly speaks to the bread-and-butter issues that most affect families. These ideas outline a clear-cut case of how Democrats will take their states forward to renewed prosperity and Republicans will take us back on a U-turn to the failed policies that got us here in the first place. We share 100 distinct policy ideas that governors and candidates can tailor to their own states to help the middle class move forward.

The policy ideas are aimed at a specific segment of the population: working-age Americans with incomes between $40,000 and $100,000. This segment represents the heart of the middle class and winning over these Americans means winning elections. This group of Americans are also “donut hole” people. They are too wealthy to qualify for traditional progressive programs to help people enter the middle class but not wealthy enough to benefit from trickle down theories of economics, like capital gains tax cuts. They often feel that government is irrelevant to their lives.

To appeal to this heart of the middle class is to appeal to their hopes for economic success. While many middle class Americans are anxious because of a loss of a job or the foreclosure of a home, the vast majority of the middle class’ anxiety is rooted in the fear that they will not achieve the success that they imagined for their lives. And success for them is not unreal dreams of a house in Beverly Hills; they define success in attainable and aspirational terms: owning a home, saving for a comfortable retirement, and sending kids to college. Even in challenging economic times, the essence of the American Dream is about getting ahead and doing better than previous generations.

In the following 7 areas, that’s what Democratic governors are doing:

• Getting To and Through College (20 policy ideas)
• Learn More to Earn More (16 policy ideas)
• Preparing for a Successful Retirement (10 policy ideas)
• Enjoying Career and Family (16 policy ideas)
• Buying and Owning a Home (9 policy ideas)
• Starting and Owning a Small Business (17 policy ideas)
• Saving Energy in the Home and Small Business (12 policy ideas)

All of our Governors and candidates share the vision of smart policies for long term middle class growth. While the candidates are already sharing their visions and emphasizing the best common sense policies for their states, we are recommending that they consider these ideas to build and
strengthen the middle class and clarify the choice that voters will face in November.

The middle class is the engine of America’s economy and when they succeed, individual states and the country as a whole do better. The Success Agenda for the Middle Class is about meeting the middle class where they want to go and taking them even further.