By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner | Wirepoints
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has spent the last several days hyping up Illinois to the attendees of the DNC and a national audience. “Of everywhere in this great country, there’s not a better place to see the change possible under Democratic leadership than here in Illinois…Democrats deliver,” he said in his opening video.
He reached a crescendo last night during prime time, making the case for the national Democrats’ policies, with Illinois and Illinois-like policies at the forefront, of course.
But how real is Illinois’ success story really? Pritzker claims that Democrats are champions of jobs, small businesses and the middle class, yet when you look at the direct impact his own policies have had on Illinoisans, things look very different from the governor’s rhetoric.
Illinoisans aren’t better off than they were five years ago. They’re worse-off. And in the most important metrics, Illinois is actually a national outlier.
It’s important to note that Gov. Pritzker didn’t put Illinois in that position on his own. Democrats have had a near-monopoly hold* on Illinois for more than two decades and for nearly 100 years in Chicago. Pritzker is just the next in line.
But for the record, here are the key facts on Illinois’ performance since the governor took office in January of 2019.
Economic growth – nation’s 4th worst.
Gov. Pritzker owns the 4th-worst economic growth in the country. Illinois’ real GDP growth has totaled just 3.1% over his 5.5-year tenure. Indiana’s economy (+10.8%) grew three times more, while Florida’s economy (+22.8%) grew seven times more during the same period.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Employment – nation’s 3rd worst.
85,000 fewer Illinoisans are employed today than when Gov. Pritzker took office in 2019 – the nation’s 3rd-worst performance. Compare that to top-ranked Texas, which has added 1.4 million to its employment rolls over the same period.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Illinois’ lack of good jobs is reflected in its current jobless rate. The state has the nation’s 2nd-highest unemployment rate at 5.2% – behind only Nevada. Illinois has consistently ranked among the worst states for unemployment since Gov. Pritzker took office.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Read more here.
Leave a Reply