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SALT LAKE CITY — The economy may not be pretty, but it may not have as much of an effect on the general election as has been assumed.
In this election's 12 swing states, the economic picture is decidedly more positive than in the rest of the nation, the Washington Post reports.
In seven of the swing states — Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin — the unemployment rate is below the national average. The unemployment rate is trending downward in another four: Florida, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.
If Pres. Obama were awarded electoral votes for every swing state with an unemployment rate lower than the national average, he would pick up 288 votes, more than the 270 required to win.
Using the unemployment rate as the sole indicator of the candidates' success is too simple, of course, but it serves as a reminder that national economic trends are not as relevant to the general election as are statewide trends.
Another Mormon moment
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may see themselves represented on Capitol Hill at a higher rate than ever before, come November.
Regardless of whether GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a member of the LDS church, gets elected, Mormons' numbers continue to rise, according to a report by The Hill.
If Rep. Jeff flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., both win in November, the number of Mormons in the upper house will rise to seven. And the Senate will see either a Mormon majority leader in Harry Reid, D-Nev., or a Mormon president pro tempore and Finance Committee Chairman in Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, depending on which party fares better in the general election.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, believes that if Mitt Romney wins the presidency, his administration would include Mormons.
Other political news:- A new Utah Policy/KSL poll of anonymous government and business officials found that they were split along ideological lines regarding whether Mitt Romney has been open enough with his tax returns. The respondents were less evenly split in their opinions on Pres. Obama's attacks on Romney's time at Bain Capital.
- The Obama campaign released a video Monday praising the president for ending the war in Iraq. The video, shown above, was released on what has been the deadliest day in two years for the country.
- Former Pres. George W. Bush will not attend the GOP convention next month in Tampa, Florida. Bush said he was grateful for the invitation, but is enjoying his time out of the political spotlight.
- A new ad released by the Romney campaign attacks Pres. Obama for the president's suggestion that government helps create businesses. Obama said last week that the supportive role of the government has helped with the nation's economic success.
- White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Sunday that Pres. Obama has expressed his support for the decision by Penn State University to remove the statue of Joe Paterno after reports came out that the late football coach had ignored allegations of child sexual abuse.
- First lady Michelle Obama has taken on a more prominent role within the Obama campaign, launching a nationwide initiative to motivate Obama supporters to realize the difference one person can make in reelection efforts.
- Foreign leaders see "America in decline," according to Mitt Romney. The presidential candidate said those were the words of Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
- Mitt Romney will travel to England, Israel and Poland next week as he tries to establish credibility with foreign leaders as a potential commander in chief. His trip will place him in England over the 2012 Summer Olympics.
