Jobless Rate Rises in Five of 10 U.S. Campaign Swing States

The jobless rate rose in August in five of 10 states considered battlegrounds in the U.S. presidential election less than two months before voters head to the polls.

Unemployment climbed in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Iowa,North Carolina and Nevada, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. The rate dropped in Coloradoand New Mexico, and was unchanged from July in Ohio, Floridaand Virginia. Joblessness in six of the 10 states is below thenational average of 8.1 percent.

Changes in the unemployment rate in the swing states may influence voters as they weigh President Barack Obama’s argument that his policies are helping heal the economy and Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s contention that the president’s policies have left Americans worse off than they were four years ago.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-21/unemployment-rate-rises-in-five-of-10-u-s-campaign-swing-states.html