Unemployment a Key Issue in 2012

Posted by Nick Fedyk on June 15, 2011 in Economy, Election 2012, Politics, Voting tagged with , , ,

Obama may have killed Osama, but that probably won’t be the only thing on voters’ minds next November.  According to a recent Gallup poll, the “Economy” and “Unemployment/Jobs” were considered the most important problems by 55% of Americans (http://www.gallup.com/poll/148001/Subgroups-Say-Economy-Jobs-Important-Problem.aspx).  With unemployment reaching 9.1% in May, jobs have become a major concern for both voters and candidates.

In fact, since World War II, no president has been re-elected with unemployment above 7.2%.  The Congressional Budget Office projects a rate above 8% in 2012.

Several key swing states – Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada – are showing acute symptoms of economic decline.  Although Obama won each of these states in 2008, they are now struggling with unemployment rates higher than the national average.  They will become heated battlegrounds once again in 2012.

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