Palin's Jobs Record Beats All Others in the GOP Field

In terms of bringing down state unemployment rates versus the national average, Palin leads all other governors and former governors in the GOP field:

Unemployment Rate Outperformance

Rank	Candidate	Outperformance vs. National Average
		Annualized	Periodic
1	Palin Dec 06 – Jul 09	+ 1.2%	+ 3.3%
2	Huntsman Jan 05 – Aug 09	+ 0.3%	+ 1.5%
3	Perry Dec 00 – May 11	+ 0.1%	+ 1.4%
4	Pawlenty Jan 03 – Jan 11	+ 0.1%	+ 1.0%
5	Romney Jan 03 – Jan 07	Even	- 0.2%

In terms of growth in the number of jobs versus the nation as a whole, the ranking is exactly the same:

Employment Growth Rate Outperformance

Rank	Candidate	Outperformance vs. National Total
		Annualized	Periodic
1	Palin Dec 06 – Jul 09	+ 1.7%	+ 4.6%
2	Huntsman Jan 05 – Aug 09	+ 1.4%	+ 6.6%
3	Perry Dec 00 – May 11	+ 1.1%	+ 11.7%
4	Pawlenty Jan 03 – Jan 11	- 0.1%	- 0.9%
5	Romney Jan 03 – Jan 07	- 1.2%	- 5.0%

During Sarah Palin’s governorship (December 2006 – July 2009)

·    Alaska ranked 2^nd in the nation for job growth.

·    Alaska ranked 3^rd in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Jon Huntsman’s governorship (January 2005 – August 2009)

·    Utah ranked 4^th in the nation for job growth.

·    Utah ranked 12^th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Rick Perry’s governorship (December 2000 – May 2011)

·    Texas ranked 4^th in the nation for job growth.

·    Texas ranked 23^rd in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Tim Pawlenty’s governorship (January 2003 – January 2011)

·    Minnesota ranked 33^rd in the nation for job growth.

·    Minnesota ranked 17^th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Mitt Romney’s governorship (January 2003 – January 2007)

·    Massachusetts ranked 47^th in the nation for job growth.

·    Massachusetts ranked 34^th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

Full data set:



Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics