Arkansas governor’s jobs record not as rosy as he’d have you believe

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By Nic Horton | The Arkansas Project

If you watch or read the news in Arkansas, you probably hear a lot about outgoing Gov. Mike Beebe’s record of “job creation.” One political columnist recently claimed that “economic development was a hallmark of the Beebe era.” Gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross released his first television ad earlier this year, attempting to tie himself to Beebe and claiming in an accompanying statement:

Arkansas has made tremendous progress under Governor Beebe…I want to build on the foundations Governor Beebe has laid in the areas of education, job creation…

But an objective look at actual employment numbers suggest Beebe’s “jobs record” isn’t one worth emulating. Gov. Beebe took office in January of 2007. Since that time, Arkansas has lost a net total of 70,034 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

at The Arkansas Project.