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Biden poured money into public works. But will that help Harris in Michigan?

As workers busily lay the groundwork for a new lock here in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, a poster on a nearby fence reads, “Project funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.” 

The landmark 2021 legislation allocated roughly $1.2 trillion for roads, bridges, ports, water, and broadband across the United States – a historic surge of job-creating federal investment after decades of underfunding. 

Why We Wrote This

President Joe Biden won a historic surge in federal funding for roads, bridges, and other U.S. infrastructure projects, after decades of neglect. Michigan is a top beneficiary. But there’s little sign it’s providing a political boost here to Democrats.

But the political payoff for Democrats – in Michigan and other swing states – may be close to nothing.

Despite the benefits to the economy and individual lives, these projects are long-term efforts. The new lock will take 10 years to complete. Meanwhile, the presidential election is less than two months away. And voters are more focused on inflation, which many economic experts agree this legislation contributed to but did not cause.

Since Mr. Biden withdrew from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s presidential nominee, she has tried to cast herself as the “change” candidate, further complicating efforts to tout Biden-Harris achievements. 

The infrastructure bill “would be a landmark achievement for any president, so your instinct is to campaign on it,” says Adie Tomer, a senior fellow at Brookings Metro. “But it runs head first into cold, hard political realities.”

The new lock has no name. 

That will come later. For now, workers in orange vests excavate concrete and dirt from defunct locks built over a century ago in the St. Marys River that divides the United States and Canada. But when they are finished – and 1,000-foot long cargo ships laden with iron ore can rise and fall 20-plus feet in a matter of minutes – there will undoubtedly be a naming ceremony.

Maybe the Biden Lock? 

Why We Wrote This

President Joe Biden won a historic surge in federal funding for roads, bridges, and other U.S. infrastructure projects, after decades of neglect. Michigan is a top beneficiary. But there’s little sign it’s providing a political boost here to Democrats.

As the “Project funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” poster tied to a nearby fence suggests, the new Soo Lock here in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is spurred by the 2021 legislation that will be a cornerstone of Mr. Biden’s legacy. 

Roughly $1.2 trillion is being allocated to projects across the U.S., including $700 million to the Soo Locks complex. It promises a historic surge of job-creating federal investment for roads, bridges, ports, water, and broadband after what experts say has been an era of chronic underfunding.

But the political payoff for Democrats – in Michigan and other critical swing states – may be close to nothing.

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