Most Saw Gains in July, But 75% Retreated Overall Since Bush Took Office
By GREG IP
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 23, 2004; Page A3
Most of the "battleground" states over which President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are fighting in this year's election gained jobs in July, but three-quarters have fewer jobs than they did when Mr. Bush took office, new government data show.
The 16 states where Mr. Bush and Al Gore came closest in 2000 lost 57,400 jobs in July from June, a figure heavily influenced by a 51,800 decline in Missouri. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Missouri experiences large swings in government employment between summer and fall. Nine battleground states gained jobs, led in percentage terms by Nevada, New Hampshire and Washington. Seven lost jobs, led by Missouri and Michigan.
The 16 battleground states have lost 315,900 jobs since the beginning of Mr. Bush's presidency in January 2001, a 0.7% decline. That is less than the 1.3% decline in all nonbattleground states and the District of Columbia combined. The battleground total is heavily influenced by Florida, which has gained more jobs since January 2001 than any other state. Manufacturing-intensive Ohio and Michigan lead the job-losers. Three-quarters of the 16 states had lower payroll employment in July than in January 2001.
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But last Monday, in Michigan, which has lost 142,000 jobs since the end of 2001 (108,000 before Friday's data were available) and whose 6.8% unemployment rate is well above the national average, Mr. Bush only cited nationwide job data and acknowledged, "I fully understand we face challenges in some of our manufacturing communities. In some parts of Michigan, the recovery has lagged."
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URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109321523720798011,00.html--Jackie Calmes contributed to this article.
Write to Greg Ip at greg.ip@wsj.com
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