Construction Mulls Impact of Biden's Withdrawal From Presidential Race

Some industry labor organizations such as the North America’s Building Trades Unions that had supported President Joe Biden in the past have already announced their endorsements of Kamela Harris' candidacy. Biden is seen here addressed the NABTU legislative conference earlier this year.

Photo by Bruce Buckley for ENR

In the wake of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, construction is starting to see some follow-up developments, but industry officials caution the impacts of Biden’s move remain to be seen.

Brian Turmail, Associated General Contractors of America vice president of public affairs and workforce, says, “At this point it is not clear what changes to expect now that Vice President Harris is running for president.”

Turmail said in comments emailed to ENR, “There have not been many opportunities for her to distinguish her own policies from those of the president she continues to serve.”

He adds, “Now that she is running on her own, it is possible we will see some different approaches emerge, but it is still too early to say.”

About 24 hours after news of Biden’s July 21 announcement rolled through Washington, the Associated Builders and Contractors made an announcement of its own, stating that it was endorsing the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

ABC president and CEO Michael D. Bellaman and Buddy Henley, the association’s 2024 board chair, said in a joint statement, “After almost four years of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ anti-competitive, inflationary and divisive policies undermining taxpayer investments in America’s infrastructure, ABC is looking forward to working with a president who is willing to welcome all of the U.S. construction industry to rebuild America.”

Building trades unions, which had lined up in support of Biden, praised the president’s past record and several construction unions formally endorsed or issued strong statements backing Harris for president.

For example, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International President Kenneth Cooper said on July 22 that he had that day convened a special meeting of the union’s officers, who voted unanimously to endorse Harris.

North America’s Building Trades Unions also announced its support for Harris, saying, “There is only one person who has been shoulder to shoulder with Joe Biden.”

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

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