November 2024 Government Affairs Election Recap
Election Results: A Historic Victory for Donald Trump
In a decisive outcome, Donald Trump has been declared the official winner of the 2024 Presidential Election. His campaign built upon the successes of 2020, achieving improved
performance across both traditionally red and blue states. With 312 electoral votes and a popular vote total of nearly 77 million votes, Trump secured a clear mandate for his second term.
By contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, struggled to gain traction. Her campaign failed to outperform President Joe Biden's 2020 results in any county, losing all seven key swing states. Analysts point to significant shifts
among pivotal voting blocs as a key factor in the Republican victory. Notably, 45% of union households cast their ballots for Trump, alongside 43% of the Latino electorate—a substantial increase compared to prior GOP performance.
Congressional Races: A Wave for the GOP
The Republican wave extended down-ballot, with congressional candidates across the country benefiting from the momentum of Trump’s victory. The GOP reclaimed majorities in both
the Senate and the House.
Spotlight on PA-08: Rob Bresnahan's Victory
A standout moment in this election cycle is the triumph of Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District. Bresnahan, the first ever NECA contractor and head of Kuharchik
Construction, unseated incumbent Democrat Matt Cartwright—a senior member of the influential House Appropriations Committee.
Despite being outspent nearly three to one, Bresnahan’s grassroots campaign resonated with voters, particularly on issues of economic development and job creation. His victory represents a significant milestone for NECA, marking the first time a
member of our association has ascended to Congress. The Government Affairs team is immensely proud of this accomplishment for Rep.-elect Bresnahan and has been working to support Rob in his transition to elected office as a member of the 119th Congress.
What's Next?
As the dust settles, all eyes turn to the next steps in Washington:
- House and Senate Leadership Elections: Republicans reelected most of their leadership team, with the exception of Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), who was elected to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who has been tapped by President Trump
to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Democrats will hold their elections shortly and are expected to re-elect its leadership team in its entirety.
- Trump Administration Staff Picks: President-elect Trump has announced nearly all key members of his administration. Most notably, several cabinet selections are strongly supported by NECA, including, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) as Secretary of Labor and former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) as Secretary of Transportation:
- Lame Duck Forecast: The remaining weeks of the current Congress could see critical legislative activity as lawmakers rush to pass pending bills before the new GOP majority takes office.
- Congress passed a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) on Sept. 25 to avoid a federal shutdown -- until Dec. 20. It is still not determined how long the next CR would extend in 2025.
- Permitting Reform: NECA is asking Congress to speed permitting of power transmission and other energy projects in the ongoing lame-duck session, arguing that a failure to act could significantly delay policies that observers have said are critical to clean power and other energy supplies.
- National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a must-pass bill to keep Department of Defense programs moving forward.
- Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is expected to pass without much controversy.
- Disaster Aid: The Biden administration is requesting about $100 billion to help Americans impacted by a series of major and record-breaking natural disasters in 2023 and 2024, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Hot Issues to Watch for in 2025:
- Tax Cuts: NECA’s biggest priority for next year, Congress must address revising and making permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
- Permitting Reform: Another NECA priority issue; bipartisan support exists for permitting reform. If Congress does not act during the lame-duck session, this issue will roll over into 2025.
- Energy: NECA is watching for possible rollbacks in clean-energy funding, increased drilling, and relaxed regulation.
- Immigration: Mass deportations and strengthening the southern border; bipartisan support will be required to fully execute on campaign promises. NECA will be closely watching any efforts to change visa programs.
- Ukraine aid: Skepticism around for continued Ukraine support, with aid potentially ending in 2025.
Be sure to listen to our team’s take on the 2024 elections in our recent webinar here.
As always, stay tuned for an in-depth analysis of the lame duck session and our year in review, where we will unpack these developments and explore what lies ahead for the 119th Congress and the Trump administration.
NECAPAC Update
With a few races left to call, we are happy to report that NECAPAC earned a 95% win record in the 2024 election cycle!
In the Senate, NECAPAC supported 13 candidates, 12 of which won their elections and one lost.
In the House, NECAPAC supported 164 candidates, with 154 of them winning their election, 8 losing, and 2 not yet called.
We will be releasing our 2024 NECAPAC Report early next year with more stats and facts about NECAPAC. Stay tuned!
We still need your support
NECAPAC Chapter goals and the Capitol Competition run through the end of the year, so be sure to get your NECAPAC contributions in before December 13 so we can process them in this calendar year!
You can contribute online here, or fill out the PDF form and email it to [email protected].
If you’d like to mail a check, please mail it to our office at:
Attn: NECAPAC
1201 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Floor 12
Washington, DC 20004
Thank you for your generous support this year!