Best and Worst States
Check in Mail States Delay Tax Refunds
Some states may delay paying tax refunds again this year. Taxpayers should call them the "Check In the Mail" States.
Last year Kansas, North Carolina, California and Missouri delayed tax refunds. Taxpayers were not happy about it. Tax refund delays are another sign of government mismanagement. In response to last years fiasco, Missouri state house legislators this week passed a bill that if enacted will shorten the time period that the state can withhold payment without interest. Missouri had to use stimulus money to pay its tax refunds. See: Missouri State House Approves Quicker Refunds .
This year New York, Kansas, Iowa and Hawaii have already announced they may have to delay payments. Taxpayers, who are entitled to refunds in these states, will unfortunately suffer.
Here are a few of the headlines and links to the state stories.
Hawaii will delay sending out tax refunds to balance budget
Hold It: Unpaid Parking tickets could delay Iowa tax refunds
Forbes also ran an analysis that shows that the states with the Worst Debt and Financial Problems are blue states i.e. states controlled by Democrats. The piece attributed political unions and big spending by Democrats as the cause of the deepest fiscal holes.
See Political Litmus Test: Bluest States Spilling The Most Red Ink
NY Governor considers delays in paying tax refunds
Forbes recently published its "Special Report: The Global Debt Bomb." In one of its pieces, United States of Debt , it ranks states according to financial health. The metrics Forbes looked at for each state when building its ranking included unfunded pension liabilities, changes in tax revenue, credit agency ratings, debt as a percentage of Gross State Product, debt per capita, growth expectations for employment and the state economy, net migrations and a moocher ratio that compares government employees, pension burdens and Medicaid enrollees to private-sector employment.
The Worst States for Debt Trouble, according to Forbes, are Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey.
The States with the least Debt Problems are Utah, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia. All states have significantly lower debt per capita than the Worst States. The Best States also have lower unemployment than the U.S. average of 9.7% and lower than the Worst States with Debt Problems. The Best States for Jobs will typically have better government management of debt.The Worst States for Debt Trouble, according to Forbes, are Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey.
Forbes also ran an analysis that shows that the states with the Worst Debt and Financial Problems are blue states i.e. states controlled by Democrats. The piece attributed political unions and big spending by Democrats as the cause of the deepest fiscal holes.
See Political Litmus Test: Bluest States Spilling The Most Red Ink
Smoking States and Tobacco Producing States
Smoking has been on a long term decline in the U.S.
Total smokers in the U.S. according to Americas Health Rankings Assessment on Smoking have declined from 29.5% in 1990 to 18.3% in 2009. Smokers as a per cent of the U.S. population have shrunk 38% since 1990.
Americas Health Rankings also does a great job in providing statistics for each of the states. Smoking trends by State have some interesting aspects not quickly seen by observing the data.
The Best and Worst States 2009 Smokers by State map highlights high smoking and low smoking states. It is listed below:
From the map it is readily apparent that the mid west and southern states have the strongest affinity for smoking.
The Best State for Non-Smokers, i.e. lowest smoking population, is Utah. Only 9.3% of the Utah population smokes. Additional Top States for Non-Smokers are California, New Jersey, Maryland and Hawaii.
The Best State for Smokers, i.e. the highest smoking population, is West Virginia with 26.5% of its population smokers. Over one in four people over 18 smoke in West Virginia. Additional Top States for Smokers are Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma. Nevada had the highest smoking population in 1990 at 35.7% according to Americas Health. Nevada's smoking population has since declined to 22.1%, a dramatic decline.
The entire 2009 list of Smokers by State is published below.
The populations of tobacco producing states are above average smokers. It seems logical. If a state produces lots of tobacco, its population is more likely to smoke. The chart of Top Producing Tobacco States supports this contention. North Carolina has the most tobacco acreage by far and ranks as the 14th highest smoking state. Kentucky, the 2nd largest tobacco producer, ranks 3 in the nation for highest per cent of its population being smokers. Virginia and Connecticut appear to be outliers. Virginia is the third largest producer yet its population ranks 40th in the nation for smoking. Connecticut is the 9th largest producer of tobacco yet its smoking population is 44th or ranked 7th lowest state for smokers. All the other Top Tobacco Producing States have above average smoking populations.
The Top Ten Tobacco Producing States are listed below along with their Smoker Rank.
If you consider smoking or non-smoking an important aspect of lifestyle, this info may help you find a state that fits your needs. It might help you determine your Best State to Live.
Total smokers in the U.S. according to Americas Health Rankings Assessment on Smoking have declined from 29.5% in 1990 to 18.3% in 2009. Smokers as a per cent of the U.S. population have shrunk 38% since 1990.
Americas Health Rankings also does a great job in providing statistics for each of the states. Smoking trends by State have some interesting aspects not quickly seen by observing the data.
The Best and Worst States 2009 Smokers by State map highlights high smoking and low smoking states. It is listed below:
State Smoking Population Map
The Best State for Non-Smokers, i.e. lowest smoking population, is Utah. Only 9.3% of the Utah population smokes. Additional Top States for Non-Smokers are California, New Jersey, Maryland and Hawaii.
The Best State for Smokers, i.e. the highest smoking population, is West Virginia with 26.5% of its population smokers. Over one in four people over 18 smoke in West Virginia. Additional Top States for Smokers are Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma. Nevada had the highest smoking population in 1990 at 35.7% according to Americas Health. Nevada's smoking population has since declined to 22.1%, a dramatic decline.
The entire 2009 list of Smokers by State is published below.
The populations of tobacco producing states are above average smokers. It seems logical. If a state produces lots of tobacco, its population is more likely to smoke. The chart of Top Producing Tobacco States supports this contention. North Carolina has the most tobacco acreage by far and ranks as the 14th highest smoking state. Kentucky, the 2nd largest tobacco producer, ranks 3 in the nation for highest per cent of its population being smokers. Virginia and Connecticut appear to be outliers. Virginia is the third largest producer yet its population ranks 40th in the nation for smoking. Connecticut is the 9th largest producer of tobacco yet its smoking population is 44th or ranked 7th lowest state for smokers. All the other Top Tobacco Producing States have above average smoking populations.
The Top Ten Tobacco Producing States are listed below along with their Smoker Rank.
Top Ten Tobacco Producing States
List of Smoking Population by State
If you consider smoking or non-smoking an important aspect of lifestyle, this info may help you find a state that fits your needs. It might help you determine your Best State to Live.
Becker Blocked: Blow to Unionism
Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board was blocked by the Senate today. The vote was 52-33. Sixty votes were needed to pass his nomination. This is a blow to the Obama administration and the union movement as Becker was considered very pro union. Politico today reported that the battle may not be over as Democrats and union leaders will be pressing President Obama to make a recess appointment. See Senate Stops Craig Becker
Objection to Becker also stems from the opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act which if enacted would make it easier for unions to organize. Many senators are also concerned about the possible elimination of secret personal voting. If the Obama adminstration is committed to job growth, it might want to reconsider these positions. We have recently written on this. See Does Increased Unionism lead to more Unemployment?
Stay tuned the battle is not over. Just stalled for now.
Objection to Becker also stems from the opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act which if enacted would make it easier for unions to organize. Many senators are also concerned about the possible elimination of secret personal voting. If the Obama adminstration is committed to job growth, it might want to reconsider these positions. We have recently written on this. See Does Increased Unionism lead to more Unemployment?
Stay tuned the battle is not over. Just stalled for now.
State Unionism Rankings: Do Highly Unionized States have Higher Unemployment?
Union employment in the U.S. continued to shrink this past year. Nationwide union participation stands at 12.3% which is a slight decline from 2008.
The BLS 2009 Annual Union Affiliation by Statesurvey was recently published. It has brought increased attention to the union movement. Union policy will further be in the spotlight this week as the Senate wrestles with the nomination of Craig Becker, a clearly pro-union candidate, to the National Labor Review Board. See GOP's Senate Gain Clouds Prospect of Obama's Labor Board Nominee. In view of this upcoming debate, we thought it would be helpful to take a deeper look at state unionization and employment.
Let's take a look at state unionization.
New York is the most unionized state in the nation with 27.2% of its population working for a union. More than 1 in four workers are represented by a union in New York. Hawaii at 24.3% is the second most unionized state at 24.3%, followed by Alaska at 23.6%. Washington, Michigan, and New Jersey are heavily unionized states with about 20% union participation rates.
The least unionized state is North Carolina at 4.4%. Only one in 23 workers in North Carolina are represented by a union, a sharp difference as compared to New York. Additional states with low union participation rates are Arkansas at 5.0%, Virginia at 5.4%, South Carolina at 5.4% and Georgia at 5.9%
Twenty seven states had decreased union participation in 2009 as compared with 2008. States with low union participation rates generally became less so in 2009 and those states with union growth were primarily already highly unionized. There are 22 states with right to work laws in the U.S. Right to work laws generally do not require employees to pay fees or join a union even if voted in.
A look at union participation and unemployment shows states with high union participation rates are closely associated with higher unemployment.
The five Worst States for Employment in 2009 were Michigan, Rhode Island, Nevada, California and South Carolina. All but South Carolina are highly unionized states. The Worst States for Employment in 2009 generally were highly unionized states.
The Best States for Employment in 2009 were North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas. All but Iowa have unionparticipation rates below the U.S. average and would be classified asstates with low unionization. If you are looking for a job, look at states with low unionization. They tend to have less unemployment. See Best and Worst States for Jobs: Will Jobs Improve in 2010 for the rankings of all states by employment. The list of Best States for Employment and Union Participation follows:
The list of Unionism by State follows:
Union membership has been in a long term decline since 1983 when BLS first started measuring it in a consistent way. Union participation was 20.1% of the working population in 1983. It is now approximately 40% lower at 12.3%. For the first time in 2009, the majority of union members now work for the government and not for private, for profit entities. These state workers are on average paid significantly more than private industry. Making it easier for government workers to unionize will only push labor costs higher and cost the taxpayers more. Political leaders should be trying to keep these costs in check. (The average federal worker's pay is $71,206 as compared to $40,331 in the private sector and is growing above inflation rates) The Obama administration's labor policy approach creates a conflict with its responsibilities to protect the taxpayer. Increased unionization will increase our cost of government. If the Obama administration is serious about job creation and deficit control, it may want to reconsider this approach. Unions and job creation generally do not have a positive correlation. Watch the news this week as it relates to Craig Becker. It will have implications for jobs and deficits.
The BLS 2009 Annual Union Affiliation by Statesurvey was recently published. It has brought increased attention to the union movement. Union policy will further be in the spotlight this week as the Senate wrestles with the nomination of Craig Becker, a clearly pro-union candidate, to the National Labor Review Board. See GOP's Senate Gain Clouds Prospect of Obama's Labor Board Nominee. In view of this upcoming debate, we thought it would be helpful to take a deeper look at state unionization and employment.
Let's take a look at state unionization.
New York is the most unionized state in the nation with 27.2% of its population working for a union. More than 1 in four workers are represented by a union in New York. Hawaii at 24.3% is the second most unionized state at 24.3%, followed by Alaska at 23.6%. Washington, Michigan, and New Jersey are heavily unionized states with about 20% union participation rates.
The least unionized state is North Carolina at 4.4%. Only one in 23 workers in North Carolina are represented by a union, a sharp difference as compared to New York. Additional states with low union participation rates are Arkansas at 5.0%, Virginia at 5.4%, South Carolina at 5.4% and Georgia at 5.9%
Twenty seven states had decreased union participation in 2009 as compared with 2008. States with low union participation rates generally became less so in 2009 and those states with union growth were primarily already highly unionized. There are 22 states with right to work laws in the U.S. Right to work laws generally do not require employees to pay fees or join a union even if voted in.
A look at union participation and unemployment shows states with high union participation rates are closely associated with higher unemployment.
The five Worst States for Employment in 2009 were Michigan, Rhode Island, Nevada, California and South Carolina. All but South Carolina are highly unionized states. The Worst States for Employment in 2009 generally were highly unionized states.
Worst States for Employment and Union Participation
Best States for Employment and Union Participation
The list of Unionism by State follows:
Unionism by State
Union membership has been in a long term decline since 1983 when BLS first started measuring it in a consistent way. Union participation was 20.1% of the working population in 1983. It is now approximately 40% lower at 12.3%. For the first time in 2009, the majority of union members now work for the government and not for private, for profit entities. These state workers are on average paid significantly more than private industry. Making it easier for government workers to unionize will only push labor costs higher and cost the taxpayers more. Political leaders should be trying to keep these costs in check. (The average federal worker's pay is $71,206 as compared to $40,331 in the private sector and is growing above inflation rates) The Obama administration's labor policy approach creates a conflict with its responsibilities to protect the taxpayer. Increased unionization will increase our cost of government. If the Obama administration is serious about job creation and deficit control, it may want to reconsider this approach. Unions and job creation generally do not have a positive correlation. Watch the news this week as it relates to Craig Becker. It will have implications for jobs and deficits.
Best States for Football Championships: Super Bowl Winners by State
Congratulations go to New Orleans Saints for winning their first Super Bowl Championship.
New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana will celebrate and have bragging rights all year long. Only 15 states have ever had the honor of being the home state of a Super Bowl Champion.
What States have the most Super Bowl Champions?
California has the honor of being the state with the most football Super Bowl Wins. Its teams have won 8 of the 44 completed Super Bowls. Two teams have contributed to California's rank as the Best State for Football Championships. The San Francisco 49ers have 5 wins and the Oakland Raiders have 3.
Pennsylvania is the second Best State for Football Championships with all 6 wins coming from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team with the most Super Bowl wins. Texas is ranked as the third Best State for Football Championships with 5 wins, all by the Dallas Cowboys.
The state list of Super Bowl Winners is below:
New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana will celebrate and have bragging rights all year long. Only 15 states have ever had the honor of being the home state of a Super Bowl Champion.
What States have the most Super Bowl Champions?
California has the honor of being the state with the most football Super Bowl Wins. Its teams have won 8 of the 44 completed Super Bowls. Two teams have contributed to California's rank as the Best State for Football Championships. The San Francisco 49ers have 5 wins and the Oakland Raiders have 3.
Pennsylvania is the second Best State for Football Championships with all 6 wins coming from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team with the most Super Bowl wins. Texas is ranked as the third Best State for Football Championships with 5 wins, all by the Dallas Cowboys.
The state list of Super Bowl Winners is below:
Super Bowl Champions by State
One Year Of Obama and Stimulus: Job Openings down 5.48% , Unemployment Up to 10%
It has been one year since President Obama took office and announced a stimulus bill that was to improve jobs. The data suggests that the job market continued to deteriorate this past year. Unemployment is up to 10% from 7.4%. Job Openings are down 5.48%
Job Openings, as measured on careerbuilder.com, have not improved from one year ago. Nationwide, job openings at January 31, 2010 were 5.48% lower than January 29, 2009. Total job openings stand at 222,189 as compared to 235,059 last year, a decrease of 12,870. 37 States have lower job openings as compared to last year.
Best and Worst States has been tracking Job Openings by State for the past year and has reported on movements. For some of our previouslinks see November 2009, Job Stimulus Not Working , Job Openings September 2009 and last year's Best and Worst States for Job Openings January 2009. While the drops early in the year have appeared to stabilize, the level of job openings is not robust enough to suggest significant improvements in employment soon.
The Best State for Job Openings is Indiana as measured by growth. Indiana had the largest gain in job openings, 887, up 17.4% from a year ago. Best States for Jobs also were Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Florida and Ohio were the best large states for job openings. They were the only 2 states of the Top Ten Employment States to show increases in openings. 13 States had increases in job openings from a year ago.
The Worst State for Jobs was California. It has 3,667 less job openings from a year ago, a decrease of 14.18%. California also has the fourth worst employment rate in the nation. Unemployment in California is now at 12.4%, up 3.7% from a year ago. California is struggling on many fronts and an increasing jobless population will not help it turn around. For more on California see California Jobs Shrinking
Additional Worst States for Jobs are Texas, Illinois,Massachusetts and Arizona. They each had large job opening losses and double digit declines in percentage terms.
Another measure of job openings, the Conference Board's Help Wanted On-Line Data Series is also indicating year over year decreases in job openings. The Conference Board Data for 2009 annual average job openings stands at 3,357,000, 1.1million below the 4,481,000 annual average for 2008. More importantly their average job opening number for 2009 is 2.4 million below the 2007 average job opening number. These are not good numbers. On an encouraging note,the Conference Board reported positive improvement in job openings in New York, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware and New Jersey.
All 50 states saw their unemployment rates increase in 2009. See Unemployment by State 2009 for the entire 2009 list and unemployment changes from a year ago. Job openings must increase significantly nationwide if unemployment is to improve to acceptable levels. It is going to take some time for this to occur.
Job Openings, as measured on careerbuilder.com, have not improved from one year ago. Nationwide, job openings at January 31, 2010 were 5.48% lower than January 29, 2009. Total job openings stand at 222,189 as compared to 235,059 last year, a decrease of 12,870. 37 States have lower job openings as compared to last year.
The Best State for Job Openings is Indiana as measured by growth. Indiana had the largest gain in job openings, 887, up 17.4% from a year ago. Best States for Jobs also were Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Florida and Ohio were the best large states for job openings. They were the only 2 states of the Top Ten Employment States to show increases in openings. 13 States had increases in job openings from a year ago.
The Worst State for Jobs was California. It has 3,667 less job openings from a year ago, a decrease of 14.18%. California also has the fourth worst employment rate in the nation. Unemployment in California is now at 12.4%, up 3.7% from a year ago. California is struggling on many fronts and an increasing jobless population will not help it turn around. For more on California see California Jobs Shrinking
Additional Worst States for Jobs are Texas, Illinois,Massachusetts and Arizona. They each had large job opening losses and double digit declines in percentage terms.
Another measure of job openings, the Conference Board's Help Wanted On-Line Data Series is also indicating year over year decreases in job openings. The Conference Board Data for 2009 annual average job openings stands at 3,357,000, 1.1million below the 4,481,000 annual average for 2008. More importantly their average job opening number for 2009 is 2.4 million below the 2007 average job opening number. These are not good numbers. On an encouraging note,the Conference Board reported positive improvement in job openings in New York, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware and New Jersey.
Job Openings by State January 2010
 | Largest State California Continues to Show Shrinking Job Openings Texas Jobs Not Growing Florida Shows Small Increase Illinois Jobs Down 10.64% 37 States Have Fewer Job Openings 2 of 10 Largest States Show Small Increase Indiana Best State for Job Opening Growth Job Openings Do Not Suggest Employment Improvements | ||||
Best and Worst States to Move To
What states are people moving to? Economists would say that you can learn a lot from people "voting with their feet." They leave states for many reasons: economic opportunity, lower taxes, weather, cost of living etc.
The 2009 Allied Van Lines 42nd Annual Magnet States Report is an useful report in understanding where people are moving to. There are some changes from last year that would suggest the economy has influenced people's moving decisions.
Texas was the Best State to Move To in 2009. It had the most net people moves in the US, over three times more than any other state. It was also the most popular state to move to in 2008. Arizona and North Carolina, which was ranked 2 in 2008, were also popular states to move to. They were very close in net moves being separated by only 2 moves according to Allied Van Lines.
According to the annual magnet report, the Best States to Move To in 2009 were Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, Colorado and Florida.
The Worst States to Move To in 2009 were Michigan, Illinois,Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California. New York is also an unpopular state to move to. Both Illinois and New York have now lost population, according to the Allied study, for 33 straight years!! California lost people in 2009. Its 12.4% unemployment rate may have had something to do with this exodus. See also Taxpayers Leave New York and People Choose Best States to Live with their Feet
It should also be noted that this survey is not a definitive migration study. Florida, for example according to the Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, lost population in 2009 for the first time in 63 years. This is at odds with the Allied stats. See
Political leaders in states where people are leaving should take note. When people leave a state, something is not working for them in that state.
Texas was the Best State to Move To in 2009. It had the most net people moves in the US, over three times more than any other state. It was also the most popular state to move to in 2008. Arizona and North Carolina, which was ranked 2 in 2008, were also popular states to move to. They were very close in net moves being separated by only 2 moves according to Allied Van Lines.
According to the annual magnet report, the Best States to Move To in 2009 were Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, Colorado and Florida.
It should also be noted that this survey is not a definitive migration study. Florida, for example according to the Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, lost population in 2009 for the first time in 63 years. This is at odds with the Allied stats. See
Political leaders in states where people are leaving should take note. When people leave a state, something is not working for them in that state.
Best and Worst States for Jobs: Will jobs improve in 2010?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released state unemployment for December 2009 today. Every state in the U.S. saw its unemployment rate rise in 2009.
The Best State for Jobs and Employment in 2009 was North Dakota. It had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 4.4%. Its unemployment rate increased by 1.1% in 2009. South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas were also Top States for Jobs and Employment.
The Worst State for Jobs and Employment in 2009 was Michigan. Its unemployment ended the year at 14.6%, an increase of 4.4% in 2009. 21 states and D.C. saw their unemployment ranks increase by 3% or more in 2009. 2009 was a very bad year for those seeking employment. Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, California and D.C. all were Worst States for Jobs and Unemployment in 2009. They all have unemployment rates of 12% or higher.
Minnesota and North Dakota had the smallest unemployment increases in 2009 with increases of only 0.8%. The Worst States for Unemployment Increases were West Virginia and Nevada which had increases of 4.6% in unemployment. The list of Best and Worst States for Jobs and Employment is below. It is presented from best to worst based on year over year changes. Politically, these are very poor numbers for the Obama administration. With the large health care bill off the table for now, let's hope businesses will become a little more willing to hire in 2010.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Best State for Jobs and Employment in 2009 was North Dakota. It had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 4.4%. Its unemployment rate increased by 1.1% in 2009. South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas were also Top States for Jobs and Employment.
The Worst State for Jobs and Employment in 2009 was Michigan. Its unemployment ended the year at 14.6%, an increase of 4.4% in 2009. 21 states and D.C. saw their unemployment ranks increase by 3% or more in 2009. 2009 was a very bad year for those seeking employment. Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, California and D.C. all were Worst States for Jobs and Unemployment in 2009. They all have unemployment rates of 12% or higher.
Minnesota and North Dakota had the smallest unemployment increases in 2009 with increases of only 0.8%. The Worst States for Unemployment Increases were West Virginia and Nevada which had increases of 4.6% in unemployment. The list of Best and Worst States for Jobs and Employment is below. It is presented from best to worst based on year over year changes. Politically, these are very poor numbers for the Obama administration. With the large health care bill off the table for now, let's hope businesses will become a little more willing to hire in 2010.
Best and Worst States for Jobs
Health Care Stopped!!! Jobs will be front and center.
When we posted the results of the first poll showing Scott Brown in the lead on January 10, the mainstream media still was not ready to get behind the idea of a possible Brown victory in Massachusetts. It was not until mid-week when some more traditional polling organizations showed similar race tightness that the media explosion took off. The Massachusetts vote became a national referendum on President Obama and his policies.
While the bill was unpopular with the majority of Americans and swept in Brown, it was also unpopular with many state legislatures and governors. They viewed it as a major usurpation of states rights. More importantly, it was filled with unfunded mandates that would put even more pressures on state's budgets. Look for the Democrats and Republicans now to quickly change the focus to jobs. Let's hope they do no more harm to a tepid recovery.
The BLS will publish year end state unemployment rates for 2009 tomorrow. Check back for the list of Best States for Jobs in 2009.
Health Care Bill Stopper? Brown Leads Massachusetts Senate Race
This race is particularly important as Brown's election would have profound implications. It would alter the filibuster control that Democrats have in the U.S. Senate. Brown would become the 41st Republican vote. It could also completely derail the Democrats' unpopular health care bill should it not be passed by the time he were to take office.
The election will be held in just 9 days on Tuesday January 19.
Brown's favorables, according to Public Policy Polling, are quite high with a +32 favorability spread, 57/25. Among independents, who will make the difference in this race, Brown's favorability spread is a whopping 54% at 70/16. Independents in Massachusetts oppose the Democrat health care bill 59% to 27% according to the Public Policy Poll. This is clearly helping Brown as he opposes the health care plan and Coakley supports it. Brown's favorables are higher than than those of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell when he won the Virginia race by 17%. McDonnell's favorables were +20 in the final poll before the election last November. There is still a long week ahead in this Massachusetts contest.
This race has implications for every person living in every state as it could mean the difference in the health care bill, tax rates and federal legislation for 2010. Because of this expect a lot of action this week. Both national parties will get into the act with resources and the last 9 days of this race should be a brawl. If you are for or against health care legislation, this race is important to you.