Poll: Construction Contractors Fairly Optimistic Heading into Presidential Election

Despite economic headwinds and a quickly approaching U.S. presidential election, construction contractors in the U.S. are fairly optimistic about the conditions for the industry and their businesses over the next six months, according to the results of Equipment World’s latest website visitor poll.  

Out of 1,166 respondents, 47% said they were "somewhat optimistic" to "very optimistic." Another 28% were on the fence, answering "neutral," and only 25% said they were "somewhat pessimistic" to "very pessimistic."

Equipment WorldThe poll, which took place from June 25 to July 18, 2024, closed just days before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee.

As such, perceptions of Equipment World poll participants may have shifted since then. At the time of the poll, commenters were divided about the economy, with some seeing growth in their region and others showing dwindling construction demand.

Here’s what a sampling of commenters had to say:

• “We are located in Arizona, and things continue to move forward despite the inflation, labor shortages and the interest rates.”
• “Work has been very slow this year. Even bidding is way down.”
• "Even though there appears to have been a pause in investment in the private market, the public market is still strong. There are quality projects with great margins if you know where to look and are willing to do the paperwork.”
• “It’s been a slow start to the build season with a lot of timid and cautious customers.”
• “The federal infrastructure plan has created significant opportunities for the contracting industry, and the strong likelihood of U.S. interest rate reductions will have positive impacts on the homebuilding industry.”
• “We are at some of the highest bid volume in our 26-year history, but the lowest percentage of the projects are moving forward and going to contract.”

Some participants also used the open comment section to voice their thoughts about the impending election, their pick for president or why they support a particular candidate.

Here’s what those additional participants told us:

• “For me, it all comes down to November.  If we don't get this election cycle right, things will not get any better.”
• “The mere possibility of a repeat of the previous administration and all the crazy policies, tariffs, and international relations should be enough to give one pause to consider the future.”
• “Biden is promoting repair and new infrastructure projects. As long as he stays in office, we are good!”
• "We’ve had Biden administration for almost four years. I'm not feeling great about anything. We’ll see what happens with the upcoming election.”
• “If Trump wins, it will be balls to the walls in the energy sector.”
• “Keep President Biden doing his work.”

Despite the candidate switch-up since our poll was conducted, recent presidential poll numbers show more enthusiasm for the Harris campaign than Biden, with Harris making up ground among voters. According to the Morning Consult’s latest poll released August 12, the vice president leads former President Trump 47% to 44%, with 4% of registered voters surveyed selecting “someone else” and 4% saying they're undecided —marking the fourth consecutive week the poll has shown Harris in the lead.

Industry Endorsements

Construction industry groups are split on who is the best candidate to run the country – with the dividing line often falling between union and non-union labor.

To date, Associated Builders & Contractors is the only industry trade association to endorse Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump, citing his continued support for fair and open competition, job creation, small businesses and expanded workforce development initiatives.

“With a skilled labor shortage of more than half a million people in 2024, construction materials prices up 32% since President Biden took office and a politically expedient regulatory regime undercutting the construction industry’s ability to deliver the infrastructure America deserves, now is the time for experienced and strong Trump leadership,” said ABC President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman and 2024 Chair of the ABC National Board of Directors Buddy Henley, owner and president, Henley Construction Co. Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, in a letter to the Trump campaign.

“For too long, the Biden/Harris administration’s policies have locked out nearly 90% of the construction workforce—that’s more than 7.3 million workers—simply because they have chosen not to belong to a union. The needless exclusion of qualified small and diverse businesses––and their hardworking employees––from building taxpayer-funded construction projects because they are not affiliated with unions must come to an end. If America is serious about building quality infrastructure with both union and nonunion craft professionals and contractors, this change is necessary, regardless of who the Democratic Party nominates for president.”

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has landed several major endorsements from organized labor unions, including the North America’s Building Trades Unions, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, the Iron Workers Union and several other groups.

“She has always stood up for the working class, fighting for fair wages, safe workplaces, labor protections, health and retirement security, and the economic opportunity that collective bargaining provides for all of America’s workers,” NABTU President Sean McGarvey said in his formal endorsement of Harris.

“Vice President Harris has been a key partner in leading the most pro-union White House ever,” added LIUNA General President Brent Booker. “She played a critical role in advancing the biggest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in modern times, and in doing so is helping to create hundreds of thousands of good union jobs.”

Equipment World’s new poll series examines the latest trends in the industry and provides insights into what contractors are thinking. Got a burning question we should ask? Send it to Jordanne Waldschmidt (jordannewaldschmidt@fusable.com).