Kerry was elected over incumbent Bill Weld in 2008, and upon election faced a failing economy. He continued Public Works projects started by Weld, and created strong financial regulations. Kerry's time in the senate allowed him to get bipartisan support for several projects, but the economy was slow to grow, and was had only fallen from 13% when he entered office to 11.8% in the 2012 election. Kerry has also supported Labor Unions as president, opposing any federal legislation against collective action. He also has opposed the outsourcing of jobs.