Taxes, health care, access to capital, child care and artificial intelligence all connect with decisions made by elected leaders. Here’s what Christian women entrepreneurs should know as they research candidates.
The 2026 general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, and voters across the country will choose candidates for Congress along with state and local offices. For Christian women entrepreneurs, following the election also means paying attention to policy decisions connected with running a business, earning income, caring for family and planning for growth.
Campaign conversations around small business often stay broad. Candidates say they support entrepreneurs, want businesses to grow or plan to strengthen the economy. The details matter much more when you’re the person paying quarterly taxes, buying health insurance, looking for funding or figuring out how new technology fits into your work.
As you research candidates before the midterms, these five business issues are worth watching.
1. Small-business taxes and deductions
Federal tax policy reaches entrepreneurs in very practical ways, especially women operating sole proprietorships, partnerships and S corporations.
Several tax rules changed heading into 2026. The IRS says the 20 percent qualified business income deduction, often called the QBI deduction or Section 199A deduction, was made permanent for qualified businesses. The income thresholds tied to some QBI limitations also increased.
Another change affects businesses paying independent contractors. Beginning with payments made in 2026, the federal reporting threshold for certain Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC increased from $600 to $2,000.
These changes are already law, but tax policy won’t disappear from the political conversation. Congress writes federal tax law, which means the people elected in November will have a role in future decisions involving deductions, business expenses, credits and other tax rules.
As you research candidates, look beyond statements about cutting or raising taxes. Find out which business deductions and credits they support, how their proposals would affect self-employed people and small-business owners, and whether their plans include details about how the changes would be paid for.
Christian women entrepreneurs with different businesses will feel tax policy differently. A photographer buying equipment, a consultant working from home and a business owner with employees won’t necessarily benefit from the same tax provisions.
Read the IRS Tax Guide for Small Business
2. Health insurance and health-care costs
Health care deserves attention from entrepreneurs because leaving a traditional job often means leaving employer-sponsored health insurance too.
HealthCare.gov says self-employed people without employees generally use the individual Health Insurance Marketplace rather than small-group coverage. Small employers with eligible employees have other options, including the Small Business Health Options Program, known as SHOP.
The cost of coverage changed for many Marketplace customers in 2026 after additional pandemic-era premium savings ended on Dec. 31, 2025. HealthCare.gov warns that people who still qualify for Marketplace savings will generally pay higher premiums than they did while the additional assistance was available.
Health insurance also becomes a business issue once you hire employees. Small employers weighing coverage have to think about premiums, employee contributions, plan options and the cost of adding benefits to payroll.
As candidates discuss health care, look for specifics connected with self-employed workers and small employers. Pay attention to what they propose for Marketplace coverage, premium tax credits, employer health benefits and the overall cost of care.
A proposal framed as a health-care issue may reach your household budget and your business budget at the same time.
Explore health coverage for self-employed people
3. Access to capital and small-business funding
Growing a business often takes money before the growth shows up in revenue. That puts lending and access to capital high on the list of issues worth following.
The Small Business Administration backs several lending programs, including 7(a) loans, 504 loans and microloans. In July 2026, the SBA changed its rules so qualified borrowers who secure a 7(a) loan first may combine 7(a) and 504 financing for up to $10 million in SBA-backed funding, double the previous cumulative limit.
Smaller businesses have another option through the SBA Microloan Program. Microloans go up to $50,000, with the SBA reporting an average microloan of about $13,000.
Federal policy also affects which businesses qualify for government programs. In August, the SBA proposed changing its small-business size standards in a way the agency says would add more than 110,000 firms to the federal definition of a small business. The proposal was still undergoing the rulemaking process when announced.
Candidates who talk about helping entrepreneurs should be able to explain what access to capital looks like under their plans. Look for positions on SBA programs, community lending, federal contracting and funding opportunities for newer or smaller businesses.
The phrase “support small business” sounds good on a campaign website. Details about who gets access to money tell you much more.
4. Child care and workforce policy
Child care sits at the intersection of family life and business for many women entrepreneurs. A business owner may need reliable care to work with clients or run her company, while an employer may also have workers dealing with the same challenge.
Federal tax policy around employer-provided child care changed in 2026. The IRS says the maximum employer-provided child care credit increased from $150,000 to $500,000, with a maximum of $600,000 for eligible small businesses. The percentage of qualified child-care expenses used to calculate the credit also increased to 50 percent for eligible small businesses.
That doesn’t mean every small business will suddenly open an on-site day care. The credit applies to specific qualified expenses and comes with eligibility requirements. Still, it shows how federal tax policy increasingly intersects with the cost of helping employees access child care.
When candidates discuss child care, family policy or workforce development, look at what they’re proposing for business owners as well as families. Employer tax credits, child-care funding, paid leave and workforce policies all create different costs and benefits depending on how a business is structured.
Christian women entrepreneurs often talk about business and family in the same breath because the two don’t operate in separate little boxes. Election coverage should make room for both.
Read about the 2026 employer-provided child care credit
5. Artificial intelligence, copyright and digital business rules
Artificial intelligence has moved from a shiny new business tool to a policy issue Congress, federal agencies and courts are actively working through.
That matters for Christian women entrepreneurs using AI to write, design, market, research or create content, especially when their businesses depend on intellectual property.
The U.S. Copyright Office has been studying questions involving AI-generated work, digital replicas and the use of copyrighted material to train AI systems. Its report on copyrightability found that AI-assisted work still qualifies for copyright protection when a human contributes enough original expression, while providing prompts alone doesn’t automatically make someone the author of an AI-generated output.
Congress is also considering legislation involving AI and creator rights. The Copyright Office lists several bills introduced during the current Congress, including proposals dealing with digital replicas, AI training and transparency.
Federal regulators are paying attention to how businesses market AI too. The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against companies accused of making deceptive claims about AI products and business opportunities, including a 2026 settlement involving Air AI and allegations of misleading entrepreneurs and small businesses about earnings and refunds.
For a Christian woman running a creative or online business, the policy questions get practical quickly. Who owns work created with AI assistance? What protections exist when someone’s image or voice is replicated? What responsibilities do businesses have when marketing AI-powered services? How should copyrighted work be treated when developers train AI systems?
Those questions are still being debated, which makes candidates’ positions on technology, copyright and regulation worth watching.
Follow the U.S. Copyright Office’s AI work
Look for the policy behind the campaign promise
None of these five issues comes with one answer every Christian woman entrepreneur will agree on. Your business structure, industry, family, income and values all shape which policies matter most to you and how you evaluate them.
What helps is moving past campaign language and looking for details. When a candidate says they support small businesses, find the proposal behind the statement. When they talk about lowering costs, look at which costs they mean. When they promise to help families or entrepreneurs, find out who qualifies and how the policy works.
TVC’s guide on How Christian Women Entrepreneurs Can Research Political Candidates Before the 2026 Midterms walks through voting records, campaign finance reports, endorsements and other public records you can use as you compare candidates.
Christian women entrepreneurs have plenty to weigh before Election Day, from faith and family to finances and the future of their businesses. Knowing which policy questions to ask gives you a stronger starting point for deciding whose plans line up with the priorities you want represented in office.
