Caregiving, COVID-19, and Running for Office

In our research we look at the experience of family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand if their caregiving role motivated or muted their desire to run for office. The pandemic increased the caregiving burden for many, as school, care facilities, in home care services, respite programs, and the like temporarily closed. How did this experience impact caregivers’ politically? Did it affect their political ambition? Did caregiving enhance the desire among some to run for office amid the turmoil of the pandemic, because their caregiving roles activated political interests? Or did the pandemic diminish political ambition because the burdens of caregiving leave space for little else?