He and other reformers, like Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio, are also focused on spurring stronger economic growth. In remarks March 10 at Google’s D.C. office, Mr. Rubio sketched proposals to increase innovation by making more wireless spectrum available for businesses and consumers, step up coordination between government research and private companies to speed ideas to market, and promote trade by knocking down barriers to U.S. goods and services. He also talked about ways to encourage domestic energy production, simplify the tax code to encourage investment, and reduce the regulatory burden on job creation.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee argued in an eloquent speech at the Heritage Foundation in November that the liberal War on Poverty has undermined the very institutions—family, community and the mediating structures of civil society that stand between the government and the individual—that are most effective in helping people rise. He has proposed a package of reforms to taxes, welfare, higher education, transportation and federal comp-time regulations that hamper worker flexibility.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Republican Governor Association Chairman Chris Christie and dozens of other GOP governors are crafting answers to meet the needs of their state’s poor. Most would welcome Mr. Rubio’s suggestion in a Jan. 8 speech that antipoverty programs be combined into one fund and given to states to administer. Governors who have led on issues of poverty and growth include Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, Ohio’s John Kasich, Michigan’s Rick Snyder and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker. Interestingly, all come from modest backgrounds—the sons, respectively, of immigrant parents, a mail carrier, a dry cleaner and a minister.