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

AGC itself does not endorse presidential candidates, Turmail adds.

ACEC's Analysis

Steve Hall, American Council of Engineering Companies executive vice president, said via email, "I don't expect significant shifts in the agenda of President Harris versus President Biden."

Hall says, "Both are probably on the same page in terms of their general vision on changes to the 2017 tax law, for example, and presumably Harris will advocate for an infrastructure package along the lines of [the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] in some form."

He adds, "No doubt President Harris will provide definition around a broader agenda going forward that will distinguish her from her predecessor, but it's a bit early still."

ABC Endorses Trump

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.

The 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 (NABTU) also announced its support for Harris, saying, “There is only one person who has been shoulder to shoulder with Joe Biden.”

In the succeeding days, other construction unions said that they were endorsing Harris. 

Mark McManus, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) general president, announced on July 24 that its board and top officers had voted to endorse Harris.

The following day, the Laborers' International Union of North America announced its Harris endorsement.

The Teamsters' union, an affiliate of NABTU, has not made an endorsement. But in a break from the past, Teamsters' President Sean O'Brien addressed the Republican National Convention earlier this month. He told the gathered delegates in Milwaukee that "the Teamsters are here to say 'we are not beholden to any one or any party.'"