Just weeks before Election Day, the robust September jobs report could give Vice President Kamala Harris a major boost to her campaign for president.
According to the report, the US economy created 254,000 new jobs in the last month. The unemployment rate also dropped from 4.2% to 4.1%.
Harris had a great opportunity to showcase the economic achievements of the Obama administration.
Harris County could benefit from September’s jobs report
Political analysts believe that the economic figures from Harris’s latest report could have a positive impact on her campaign.
Ed Mills is the managing director of Raymond James and Washington Policy Analyst. He said, “On the margins, there’s good news for Harris.”
This strong September job creation contrasts to recent criticisms by former president Donald Trump. During the debate in September, he asked why Harris and Joe Biden hadn’t done more during their tenure in office.
Harris’s September report is a solid rebuttal of Trump’s assertions.
The US economy continues to grow despite all the difficulties it has experienced over the past few years.
Is the economic momentum a permanent blip or is it a real thing?
It is worth noting that despite the good news from September’s jobs report, the one for October may be less positive.
The next data set could be affected by a number of factors, such as the ongoing Boeing strike and the residual effects of hurricane Helene in some regions.
Analysts at BNP Paribas have highlighted that pre-election insecurity could also dampen job creation for the next month.
However, the Harris campaign is not wasting any time in capitalizing on this good news.
The campaign highlighted the growth in jobs on social media shortly after the release of the report. Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign criticized Harris’s policies and pointed out the back-to-back loss of manufacturing jobs.
Recent economic data has overall painted a positive picture of the Biden and Harris administration.
The US economy is growing steadily, as the second quarter figures show a growth of 3.0% annually, with a similar figure expected for the third.
The inflation rate, which was a major issue during the elections, has also begun to ease.
In its latest reading, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, fell to 2.2%, from a previous rate 2.5%.
Harris makes progress on economic messages
Cook Political Report’s recent poll shows that Harris has improved her position against Trump in key economic areas, including who the voters think is best equipped to control inflation.
Trump had a 6 point lead in August over Harris, but this advantage is now gone.
Cook’s survey credits this change to Harris’s emphasis on affordability throughout her campaign. This included promises to reduce the cost of pharmaceutical drugs and address price-gouging.
The November 1, jobs report is due only days before elections and could play an important role.
Harris’ positive momentum from the strong September numbers could be slowed down by a weaker than expected report.
Jobs under Biden and Harris
Experts like Ed Mills say that despite the uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming jobs report, there has been a remarkable trajectory in job creation during the Biden Administration.
Mills said that the trajectory of employment during Biden’s administration was quite substantial.
In the last stretch before the elections, the Harris campaign will continue to highlight this trend and emphasize the efforts of the Obama administration to support the economic recovery by creating jobs.
The September jobs report is a useful talking point for Harris to defend the record of the Obama administration.
The data for September could be a convincing reason for voters to support Harris, particularly those who are undecided about economic issues.
The post Kamala vs. Donald Trump – How the US Presidential Elections could be shaped by inflation, jobs and job report may change as new developments unfold
