NAHB Podcast: Changing Dynamics in the 2024 Election

Advocacy
Published
Contact: Reaganne Hansford
[email protected]
AVP, Leadership Strategy
202-266-8450

On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez are joined by Chief Lobbyist Lake Coulson to discuss the latest political news.

Coulson recently attended the Republican National Convention with NAHB Chairman Carl Harris and First Vice Chairman Buddy Hughes, as well as NAHB VP of Government Affairs Scott Meyer and BUILD-PAC Director Meredith Wimbrow. The senior officers had the opportunity to talk housing with federal elected officials, as well as a special closing session with former President Trump and vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance.

“Carl spent some time with Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and with Majority Leader Steve Scalise as well,” Coulson noted. “So we had a really good opportunity to talk about our place in the world and why housing is so important to the economy and some of the things that are keeping our builders up at night.”

Following the convention, President Biden’s announcement to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee has changed the landscape for the 2024 election. Tobin, Lopez and Coulson weighed in on what to expect in this election cycle, including potential campaign tactics for Vice President Kamala Harris, who might be the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and the significance of Biden’s announcement.

“They just threw out the sitting president of the United States from re-election over a bad debate performance,” Tobin stated. “If you think about that, it’s stunning.”

Carl Harris and Buddy Hughes will be on the road again in a few weeks to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and NAHB will continue to campaign for pro-housing efforts through the August recess and leading up to elections in November.

Listen to the full episode below, and subscribe to Housing Development through your favorite podcast provider or watch all the episodes on YouTube.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Business Management

Jul 14, 2026

Get Big Summer Discounts on NAHB BuilderBooks' Top Titles

Looking for the best residential construction books to read in 2026? NAHB BuilderBooks titles offer practical insights you can put to work immediately.

Young Professionals Committee | Student Chapters

Jul 14, 2026

How NAHB Helped Two Teens Create a Home Insulation Business

NAHB’s network of local HBAs provides a springboard for some of the country’s brightest young minds to pursue their goals within the home building industry. Logan Curran and Joe Krysmalski are two of the many examples of young professionals across the country who are seeing results.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jul 15, 2026

Single-Family Permitting Continued to Weaken Through May

State-level permitting activity continued to reflect a divided housing market through the first five months of 2026. Elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability challenges continued to weigh on single-family construction across much of the country, while multifamily permitting remained comparatively stronger, supported by gains in several regions despite continued weakness in parts of the South.

Economics

Jul 14, 2026

Inflation Cooled in June as Gas Prices Eased

Inflation slowed to 3.5% in June from a three-year high last month, driven by a mid-June ceasefire agreement that stabilized oil markets and lowered energy prices.

Economics

Jul 13, 2026

Two or More Story Home Starts Pull Back in 2025

Over half of new single-family homes built in 2025 were two or more stories, according to the recent release of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). After increasing in 2024, the share of homes started with two or more stories fell in 2025.