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Red state economies are surging under Biden. Here's why.
Nearly every week, a fresh round of strong economic data elicits a celebratory statement from the Biden administration. Most of the best-performing states, however, voted in favor of former President Donald Trump, a new ABC News analysis found.
An examination of key economic measures -- including job and income growth -- found an overwhelming majority of red states among 18 top performers.
The disparity between red and blue states has little to do with anything Biden has done, experts interviewed by ABC News said, noting that federal policy typically holds minimal influence over state-by-state economic trends.
Instead, they added, the dynamic owes in large part to the appeal of warm weather states for workers and businesses, as well as the combination of company-friendly state policies and Democrat-leaning cities that attract young, educated workers.
"The climates are better in red states, and Americans like good climates," Mark Partridge, a professor of economics at Ohio State University, told ABC News.
Some experts caution, though, that the statistical snapshot of economic performance could result partly from temporary, state-specific factors that may shift in the coming months or years.
At the national level, the economy performs well on just about every measure of economic health. Inflation is falling, job growth is surging, and gross domestic product is proving much more resilient than expected in the aftermath of near-historic interest rate hikes.
Attitudes about the economy have improved in recent months, data shows. Consumer sentiment soared in January but remained well below pre-pandemic levels, a University of Michigan survey found.
"Dating back to when the president took office, he has enacted a set of historic legislative accomplishments that have very directly driven the historic labor market recovery and historic economic growth we’ve had,” Daniel Hornung, deputy director at the National Economic Council, a Biden administration group that advises the president, told ABC News.
Moreover, Hornung rebuked the notion that Biden's policies have little to do with the particularly strong performances among red states, citing legislative achievements that, in some cases, have disproportionately benefited red states.
In the aftermath of the Inflation Reduction Act, which offered tax credits meant to incentivize private investment in clean energy, most of the new clean energy projects were located in districts represented by Republican House members, according to a study in September by advocacy group Climate Power.
"This is not something that is collected and concentrated in blue cities,” Hornung said. “It’s really spread throughout the country.”
An examination of key economic measures -- including job and income growth -- found an overwhelming majority of red states among 18 top performers.
The disparity between red and blue states has little to do with anything Biden has done, experts interviewed by ABC News said, noting that federal policy typically holds minimal influence over state-by-state economic trends.
Instead, they added, the dynamic owes in large part to the appeal of warm weather states for workers and businesses, as well as the combination of company-friendly state policies and Democrat-leaning cities that attract young, educated workers.
"The climates are better in red states, and Americans like good climates," Mark Partridge, a professor of economics at Ohio State University, told ABC News.
Some experts caution, though, that the statistical snapshot of economic performance could result partly from temporary, state-specific factors that may shift in the coming months or years.
At the national level, the economy performs well on just about every measure of economic health. Inflation is falling, job growth is surging, and gross domestic product is proving much more resilient than expected in the aftermath of near-historic interest rate hikes.
Attitudes about the economy have improved in recent months, data shows. Consumer sentiment soared in January but remained well below pre-pandemic levels, a University of Michigan survey found.
"Dating back to when the president took office, he has enacted a set of historic legislative accomplishments that have very directly driven the historic labor market recovery and historic economic growth we’ve had,” Daniel Hornung, deputy director at the National Economic Council, a Biden administration group that advises the president, told ABC News.
Moreover, Hornung rebuked the notion that Biden's policies have little to do with the particularly strong performances among red states, citing legislative achievements that, in some cases, have disproportionately benefited red states.
In the aftermath of the Inflation Reduction Act, which offered tax credits meant to incentivize private investment in clean energy, most of the new clean energy projects were located in districts represented by Republican House members, according to a study in September by advocacy group Climate Power.
"This is not something that is collected and concentrated in blue cities,” Hornung said. “It’s really spread throughout the country.”
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