IN THE STATES: State of the Union, Strong Jobs Numbers Drive Headlines

As President Biden gave his first State of the Union address this week, voters in battleground states spent this week watching a split screen between President Biden and Democrats’ work to strengthen the economy while Republicans propose a tax increase on half of Americans.

Here’s a look at just some of what happened in the states this week…

In light of today’s strong jobs report made possible by the American Rescue Plan, Democratic state parties reminded voters that this progress is no thanks to a single Republican in Congress:

Florida Democratic Party: “Since he signed the American Rescue Plan into law last March, President Biden and Democrats have prioritized policies that create jobs and help working families put food on the table… Any Florida Republican who tries to take credit for this economic recovery should have to answer for the fact that they staunchly opposed the American Rescue Plan every step of the way.”

Democratic Party of Georgia: “There is still more work to be done, but instead of joining Democrats to lower costs for Georgians, Republicans are once again trying to stand in the way with no plan of their own other than to raise taxes on over half of Americans.”

North Carolina Democratic Party: “While there’s still more work to be done, thanks to President Biden and Democrats alone, we’ve created millions more jobs than anyone had predicted, gotten over six million North Carolinians vaccinated, and tackled supply chain issues.”

Democratic leaders across the battleground states highlighted the contrast between President Biden’s leadership and Republicans’ plan to raise taxes on half of Americans:

In Georgia: WJCL: Johnson: “Biden-Harris Agenda is the Plan We Need”

ANCHOR: Last night’s State of the Union address sparked responses from plenty of local lawmakers, including Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who spoke in a Georgia Democrats press conference this morning.

MAYOR JOHNSON: In Savannah, unemployment has dropped over 50% since President Biden took office, and thousands of families in our city have used the tax cuts in the expanded Child Tax Credit to put food on the table and keep the lights on at home.

In Wisconsin: WORT: Madison Mayor Holds Press Conference Ahead Of Biden’s State Of The Union Address

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway was joined by local and political leaders today for a press conference to tout the achievements of the Biden administration. 
“Tonight, we will hear from our President about how the Biden-Harris Administration has been working to cut costs for working families in Madison, in Dane County, across the state, and across the country…” Rhodes-Conway says.

In New Hampshire: Seacoast Current: Biden’s State of the Union Gets Support from NH’s Shaheen, Hassan

Shaheen took a swipe at the Trump administration and said that Biden inherited the pandemic, a struggling economy, national security challenges, and strained relationships with the country’s allies.

“President Biden’s determination to end the vitriolic partisanship and discord that our nation knew for four years put the United States back on track. Tonight, his message of unity and fortitude to the American people reflects his actions of the last year and comes at a time when our nation – and world – needs it the most,” Shaheen said in a statement.

And earlier this week, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison did a swing across local media markets to talk about how President Biden and Democrats are strengthening the economy while Republicans have no plan to fight inflation and lower costs:

In Arizona: News 4 Tucson: DNC Chair Says Arizonans Will Benefit from President Biden’s Economic Plan

CHAIR HARRISON: All of the things [President Biden has] been able to do, particularly for the great state of Arizona, when you think about the infrastructure plan and the investments that will have – more than $600 billion for roads and bridges, $85 billion for public transit. 

In Wisconsin: ABC 27 Madison: DNC Chair Touts President Biden’s Infrastructure Law

CHAIR HARRISON: When you have improved infrastructure, you can also bring more businesses into areas. More businesses into your areas, for small businesses, if you’re a restaurant owner and you’re able to attract more folks, then there are more people who are gonna move into those areas.

In North Carolina: Spectrum News: DNC Chair Ahead of SOTU

CHAIR HARRISON: This is a contrast. You got one party that wants to talk about inflation but doesn’t want to do anything about it, doesn’t have a plan to address any of the inflationary issues. Joe Biden and Democrats in the House and the Senate have a plan. When you look at the Republicans just recently, I think one of your senators – Tillis – didn’t even show up for the banking committee hearing where they were going to approve new members of the Federal Reserve, folks who would have the ability to impact our inflation and bring down costs, but Joe Biden is focused like a laser on doing just that. 

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