WASHINGTON – DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile released the following statement in response to the strong October jobs report, which showed the strongest wage growth in nearly eight years, the unemployment rate falling to 4.9 percent, and 161,000 new jobs created:

“The last jobs report before Election Day clearly showed that nearly eight years of Democratic leadership in the White House has steered our economy in the right direction. At the end of the last Republican administration, our economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month and millions of Americans were losing their homes and life savings. But under the Obama Administration, our economy has rebounded, wages are growing faster than at any point in the last seven years, the unemployment rate is under five percent, and U.S. businesses have added 15.5 million new jobs since early 2010.

“Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine will build on that momentum and create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. They understand that despite the gains we’ve made, there’s still more work to do, and they have the experience and the vision to get it done. They’re going to fight to grow America’s middle class, fight to reduce income inequality, and fight to keep wages growing for hardworking families.

“Of course, Clinton and Kaine cannot do it alone. Republicans controlling Congress have already vowed to obstruct the Clinton-Kaine administration if they win the election, and Republicans in state legislatures are fighting to undo our hard-won progress. That's why it’s so important to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, take back the House and Senate, and turn state legislatures blue.”

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