Phil Bryant: Hard to Run on His Record

Last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Vicki Slater addressed her supporters at the state Capitol to launch her campaign. During her remarks, Slater noted that the state of Mississippi continues to suffer under the failed leadership of Governor Phil Bryant and the Republican-controlled legislature.

In response to Vicki Slater's campaign announcement, the Bryant campaign tried to paint a rosy picture about the state's employment figures saying that "governor will run for re-election on accomplishments such as reducing unemployment." If Phil Bryant's record on employment is something to run on, his campaign is in for a bad year.

Here are the facts: when Phil Bryant became governor in January 2012, Mississippi had 1,196,910 persons employed. As of December 2014, that number was down to 1,155,328. That's 41,528 fewer Mississippians working today than when Phil Bryant took office. To put that in perspective, it would be the equivalent of nearly everyone in Pike County being unemployed. That's not all. The state's labor force has shrunk by just over 77,000 workers. Where are the jobs, Phil?

Phil Bryant and the Republican Party can prattle all they want about how "pro-jobs" they are, but that would not be true. The campaigns are just getting underway, and Phil Bryant and the Republicans are going to have a very tough time running on their records.