Less than one month from today, all 50 states will hold midterm elections (on Nov. 3, 2026) to decide all 435 U.S. House of Representatives seats and about one-third of the Senate’s seats. Considering that control of Congress is on the ballot and several policy proposals are still taking shape that could change the political landscape in Washington, electrical contractors have plenty of reasons to track the election outcomes.

Held on October 5 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, the NECA 2026 educational session on “Navigating a New Washington: Current Issues and the Midterm Election” gave attendees an inside look at how NECA’s Government Affairs team believes things may shake out. Addressing the federal regulatory and legislative issues most likely to affect electrical contractors, this session showcased insight from Marco Giamberardino, NECA’s chief communications officer; Seth Guidry, NECAPAC director; James Payne, executive director, government affairs; and Ryan McGuire, director, government affairs. In this session, they examined the status of permitting reform and the forthcoming surface transportation authorization, provided predictions on several state election outcomes, and suggested ways contractors can develop productive relationships with federal lawmakers.

“There’s no such thing as a permanent policy,” said McGuire, whose observation underscores exactly why electrical contractors should pay attention to what happens in Washington.

The panel started out with an overview of all the reasons this Congress has made history, including the longest House floor vote in congressional history at 7 hours and 23 minutes; the longest Senate floor speech, including Senator Cory Booker’s oration that lasted more than 25 hours; the Senate’s record for most amendments in one “vote-a-rama” at 45; and the longest government shutdown recorded in Congressional history at 43 days.

According to the speakers, permitting reform is one of the most consequential issues for the NECA audience. The team highlighted the proposed Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, which was introduced on September 30 after negotiations were stalled over solar and wind project cancellations. Calling the bill the most “comprehensive energy overhaul in modern history,” the speakers reiterated that it is basically “one big NECA wish list,” a bipartisan proposal that would reform federal environmental reviews and permitting processes. If passed, they explained this would be good for electrical contractors because it would provide a more predictable project pipeline for renewables and infrastructure work – a welcome change from the current delays they often face in this market. “We liked the Manchin one, but we like this one better,” noted Payne, referring to the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, a bipartisan proposal developed by then-Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. John Barrasso to speed approvals for energy and transmission projects.

The team’s election forecast pointed toward a divided government. Payne noted several states that could be a tossup for the Senate or the “biggest jump balls” as he called them, including Alaska, Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, and Texas. He predicted that Democrats would capture the House by approximately 10 seats while Republicans would retain the Senate, potentially with a margin narrow enough to require tie-breaking votes from Vice President Vance. However, he quipped: “Of course, we could flip our script in two weeks.”

Nuclear development was identified by the group as having significant growth potential in the next five to 10 years. “It’s wildly popular in both parties,” noted McGuire.

Amid the ongoing skilled labor shortage that continues to plague the industry with no end in sight, the team described substantial public and private investment in nuclear deployment but warned that funding alone will not supply the workforce needed to build those projects. According to Guidry, NECA is collaborating with the Departments of Energy and Labor and with Congress to understand what actual workforce resources will be needed in this area, while working on a national training model to roll out in the near future. He then asked any attendees who are already performing nuclear work to share their experiences with the team, including certification costs and barriers to preparing workers for the sector, to better prepare NECA members for this new potential opportunity.

Giamberardino closed the session with a call for contractors to provide practical examples that make advocacy more effective. Whatever pain points electrical contractors feel as their biggest obstacles to completing work on time and on budget are critical. Whether that’s challenges with implementing AI, managing change-orders, overcoming permitting obstacles, or recruiting and retaining top talent, he emphasized how important it is for the association to pass on members’ real-world concerns to lawmakers in Washington. One final key takeaway from the group was that NECA’s relationships with elected officials must continue, regardless of which party controls Washington.

“We’ve got a lot of traction in Congress. They want to hear from us. They want to hear from you,” said Giamberardino. Guidry also left some poignant words of wisdom to close out the session. “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” advised Guidry.