ACEC/PAC Candidates Successful Nationwide Fundraising for Congressman Bob Beauprez are (from left to right): Rod Hoffman, ACEC Vice Chair; William Howard, ACEC Chair; Bob Beauprez, and Neville Gaines, ACEC/CO President. An overwhelming 97 percent of candidates supported by ACEC/PAC—both Republicans and Democrats—won their election bids. (See chart at the end.) Those victorious include ACEC-backed Senate candidate John Thune in his successful race against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). ACEC also provided maximum financial support to Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who was featured last year on the cover of Engineering Inc., and is now expected to replace Daschle as the Senate Minority Leader.

ACEC/PAC also supported the new Senators from North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida—all of whom will give the Senate a more pro-business outlook in 2005. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is expected to be the new Senate Minority Leader. In the House, ACEC/PAC supported the successful re-election bids of Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT), Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), three industry supporters who faced very tough challenges. "Looking down the road, the election results may also breathe new life into longstanding business concerns, including tort reform and regulatory changes such as environmental regulations that impact firm clients (including the Endangered Species Act and wetlands regulations)," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. Click here for the complete election results.

Snyder Wins in New Mexico; Credits Engineering Community ACEC/NM Executive Director and NM State Senator Diane Snyder    State Senator and ACEC/New Mexico Executive Director Diane Snyder won her hard-fought bid for re-election last week. "I could not have been successful without the engineering community across the nation," said Snyder. "I will never forget. You are all so wonderful." Snyder, a Republican, faced a tough and well-funded challenger who was heavily backed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Her re-election margin—53 percent to 47 percent—was remarkable considering the Republican registration in her Senate district is only 42 percent. Voter turnout in her district was the second highest in the state, underscoring the importance of her re-election effort. "Please tell everyone in ACEC how much I sincerely appreciate their generous contributions, their words of encouragement, their sound advice, and overall support," added Snyder. "Most of all, I appreciate their friendship."

ACEC Hosts Post Election Meeting For National Association Leaders From left to right: Bernadette Budde, Business and Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC); Dave Raymond, ACEC; John Block, Food Marketing Institute (former Secretary of Agriculture under President Reagan); and Larry Pressler, Pressler International (former U.S. Senator). Twenty-seven national association leaders gathered at ACEC headquarters in Washington this week to hear an assessment of the Election Day results and what it means for the business community. Terry Nelson, political director for the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign, analyzed issues and votes in key battleground states. He attributed the success of the President's campaign largely to the effective grassroots network of volunteers that turned out voters in record numbers. Bernadette Budde, senior vice president for the Business and Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), briefed the executives on the congressional races and provided a preview of the upcoming 2006 election.

ACEC Urges Action By "Lame Duck" Congress On TEA-21 ACEC urged Congress to "complete work on a multi-year TEA-21 reauthorization bill" during its lame duck session, slated to begin next week. In a letter to House and Senate conferees working on the final TEA-21 reauthorization bill, ACEC President Dave Raymond admonished: "The delay in passing a reauthorization bill and the resulting extensions of the federal-aid surface transportation program have hindered the ability of state departments of transportation to efficiently deliver their programs. We need action now to get a reauthorization bill in place." With Republicans retaining control of Congress and the Administration, leaders in both the House and Senate have expressed interest in attempting to complete work on the TEA-21 reauthorization bill before the end of the year. However, the limited duration of the lame duck session will likely hinder prospects for the reauthorization measure next week. ACEC joins a large industry coalition, including the Associated General Contractors and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, in calling on Congress to act as soon as possible.

ACEC-Supported Candidates *bold names denote ACEC/PAC support

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