Candidates 2020

The 2020 US Presidential Election:

Comparing the Major Candidates on Manufacturing Issues

Domestic manufacturing is likely to be an area of focus in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Manufacturing is a major part of the economy in several battleground states, a fact not lost on the candidates as they formulate their positions. The incumbent president, who ran in 2016 on a promise “to bring back manufacturing jobs,” touts his accomplishments on manufacturing issues in his reelection efforts. Many of the other candidates attack that same record and offer their own policy proposals designed to make American manufacturing more competitive.    

Given this attention, the Manufacturing Policy Initiative (MPI) at Indiana University has undertaken a project to compare the presidential candidates on issues of importance to U.S. manufacturing. The report does not advocate for any particular candidate or policy proposal, and the assessment presented here does not necessarily represent the views of the O’Neill School or Indiana University. The purpose of the report is to highlight the positions of the major candidates and identify areas of agreement or disagreement to inform anyone with an interest in U.S. manufacturing. 

Download the June 2020 report

Archived Candidate Reports

The following section categorizes major candidates by issue. This categorization does not convey every aspect of each question posed to the candidates. Rather, categories were listed to highlight differences between the candidates and in a form that would facilitate online accessibility.