Bill Lynch, Special Advisor to the RI Democratic Party responded to the Republican Party’s most recent «Alternative Facts Attack» against RI Governor Gina Raimondo

«Here we go again» said Lynch, referring to the most recent Republican effort to mislead people.
«Creating facts, intentionally misleading people and ignoring the truth may have worked for the
Trump campaign, but Rhode Islanders are smarter than that» said Lynch. «After suffering through
decades of Republican and Republican-lite governors in RI, Governor Raimondo is actually
succeeding in rebuilding Rhode Island’s economy, putting Rhode Islanders back to work and
building a strong foundation for the future of ALL Rhode Islanders. We’ve made incredible
progress in just two years under Governor Raimondo’s leadership and while there’s work left to
do, our investments in K-12 education and with the Governor’s innovative fight to make college
more affordable and accessible for everyone, Rhode Islanders are finally back to work, local
businesses are hiring again and Rhode Islanders now have a future to be excited about. And we
have only just begun!!!»
Helpful REAL Facts:
 RI’s added 15,000 jobs since Governor Raimondo was elected[1] and unemployment is the
lowest it’s been since 2001[2]
 Construction employment is above 20,000 for first time since 2008[3], thanks to Governor’s
economic programs and RhodeWorks
 Labor force grew by 1,200 in February[4]
 Private sector employment is at an all-time high[5]
Rankings:
 18th best economy (US News)
 12th best growth (US News)
 2nd best for entrepreneurship/innovation (US Chamber of Commerce)
 Adding advanced industry jobs more quickly than all other New England states (Brookings
Institute)
______________________
[1] According to DLT data, RI had 480,500 jobs in October 2014, the month before the Governor’s
election. In February 2017, the state had 495,200 jobs.
[2] DLT unemployment rate, historical trends. Last time RI’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent was
May 2001.
[3] DLT Employment Bulletin, March 2017
[4] DLT Employment Bulletin, March 2017
[5] DLT historical data. Under a Democratic governor, the state currently has 434,600 private sector jobs.
Under a Republican governor in December 2006 – so-called peak-employment – the State had only
430,800 private sector jobs. Total employment in December 2006 was 495,700, compared to 495,200 in
February. In December 2006, under a Republican President and Republican Governor, there were 64,900
total government positions in Rhode Island (federal, state and local). In February 2017, there were 60,600.