As we get ready for the first Republican presidential debate in August, the field of candidates is pretty crowded, and within that crowd, many of the contenders are touting their records as state leader. Case in point: former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R), who is taking the opportunity to showcase his record as the leader of the Sunshine State.
During Gov. Rick Scott's Economic Growth Summit, which was held in Orlando in early June, Bush said the following about Florida job creation under his watch:
"In Florida, during my eight years, we grew at 4.4 percent per year, and we created, together, many of the people in this room, by creating a better environment, we created 1.3 million net new jobs -- more jobs created than Texas, more jobs created than any state in country other than California, a state 2 1/2 times our size."
Our partners at PolitiFact Florida decided to take a look into Bush's claim that Florida created 1.3 million net new jobs, and if it was more jobs than were created in Texas. PolitiFact reporter Joshua Gillin says that Bush's claim rates MOSTLY TRUE on the Truth-O-Meter. Gillin says that Bush is working with accurate numbers.
"The numbers Jeb Bush is citing here do work out," said Gillin. "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these numbers are accurate. However, we talked to noted a few things. First, most of these jobs came about because of the housing boom, which they remind us is something Florida is still trying to dig its way out of, and secondly, if Bush wants to take credit for this, he also shoulder some of the blame, as well."
Gillin notes that PolitiFact has done many fact-checks where one person lays claim to growth successes, and the reality is that no one governor can be fully responsible for job growth. However, Bush had the numbers right on the money, which earned him a MOSTLY TRUE rating on PolitiFact's Truth-O-Meter.
SOURCES: More job growth in Florida than in Texas?
- PolitiFact ruling
- Former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise PAC video, "Undisputed jobs champ," June 2, 2015
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, State and metro area employment for Florida and Texas, December 1998-December 2006
- Miami Herald, "Bush defends his conservative credentials ahead of CPAC," Feb. 27, 2015
- Tampa Bay Times, "What you don’t know about Jeb Bush’s economic record," May 1, 2015
- Reuters, "How Jeb Bush’s big bet on Florida’s economy may come back to haunt him," March 2, 2015
- PolitiFact Texas, "Rick Perry and Texas job gains," June 2, 2015
- PolitiFact Texas, "Rick Perry says Texas gained a million jobs while nation lost 400,000" , Jan. 22, 2015
- Interview, Matt Gorman, Former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise PAC spokesman, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Lucy Nashed, Former Gov. Rick Perry spokeswoman, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Gary Steinberg, Bureau of Labor Statistics spokesman, June 2, 2015
- Interview, David Cooper, Economic Policy Institute economic analyst, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Harry Holzer, Visiting Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution while on leave from Georgetown University., June 2, 2015
- Interview, Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Dean Baker, economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Tara Sinclair, George Washington University associate professor of economics, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Bill Seyfried, Rollins College economist, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Kwame Donaldson, Moody’s economist, June 2, 2015
- Interview, Chris Lafakis, Moody’s senior economist, June 2, 2015