Kamala Harris gets jobs warning from new poll

A new survey revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris needs to focus on her plans to bolster the economy in the weeks ahead of the election, as respondents report hearing overwhelmingly negative news.

Morning Consult‘s survey found that 78 percent of respondents felt that the economy is the primary issue they are concerned with regarding the election, and that voters were more likely to say they’ve heard something negative than positive about jobs.

Previous polls have shown the public is more inclined to trust Republicans with the economy, so the latest figures may be of concern to the Harris campaign.

Just 18 percent of respondents to the survey, which was conducted August 9 to 11, stated that they heard something positive about the economy in the past week, while 42 percent spoke of negative rumblings.

Although respondents are concerned about the economy, 46 percent reported that they trust Republicans in Congress to handle economic issues, while 42 percent trust Democrats to do so.

When it came to handling jobs, the difference was smaller — 45 percent of respondents said they trusted Democrats more, while 44% trusted Republicans.

The survey follows the Labor Department’s jobs report released on August 2, which showed that the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent, the highest since 2021, and employers added only 114,000 jobs in July.

With employers adding 35 percent fewer jobs than projected in July, businesses and individuals cannot keep up with rising interest rates, the Associated Press reported.

The disappointing report fueled the brewing concerns that the U.S. is headed toward a recession, as the global financial markets face economic turmoil following stocks plummeting in the U.S., Japan, the Middle East, and Europe according to the Guardian.

Despite fears of a looming recession, not all economists agree — some experts think that when taken in context, the unemployment figures are not out of the ordinary.

Harris may be beginning to turn a corner with voters regarding their trust in her to handle the economy, as she leads Donald Trump 42 to 41 percent in a new poll from the Financial Times and Michigan Ross School of Business.

Harris’ economic agenda focuses on the middle class, and she has announced that her plans include eliminating federal taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers and raising the minimum wage.

The Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies include making smart public investments, empowering and educating workers to grow the middle class, and promoting competition to lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive according to a 2023 White House press release.

Harris recently disputed Trump’s statement that the president should have input into the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions and will reveal her official economic policy platform soon, as reported by CNBC.

When describing her official economic platform, Harris said, “It’ll be focused on the economy and what we need to do to bring down costs and also strengthen the economy,” according to the Associated Press.

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