New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley faced off over Friday’s jobs numbers on Sunday, with O’Malley emphasizing private-sector job growth and Ayotte arguing the unemployment rate is still too high.
Although the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked down to 7.8 percent in September, Ayotte, a Republican, said on Fox News Sunday that the gain is due to an increase in people working part-time.
"I think if you told the American people four years ago that the unemployment rate was going to be 7.8 percent at this point during the presidents term, I don’t think anyone should be satisfied or happy with that," Ayotte said.
O'Malley, a Democrat, agreed that the country's economy still has a long way to go, but added that it is "moving in the right direction." O'Malley touted 31 consecutive months of private-sector job gains, and the recent improvement in the housing market.
"We're making progress," he said.
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