Turns Out a Federal Jobs Guarantee Is Very Popular and Democrats Should Probably All Run on It

Although big policy ideas are often derided as impractical or impossible by the professional political class, they can actually be quite popular among voters. One such idea that’s gained traction over the last few years is for the federal government to guarantee a job for anyone who wants to work.

New polling data out today by Civis Analytics and Data for Progress found that a federal job guarantee is extremely popular across the country, with the lowest amount of support in Utah still at 57% backing such a plan. States on the higher end included Mississippi (72%), New York (71%), and Washington, DC (84%).

Even when people were asked with a partisan framing if they supported a jobs guarantee (like if it was proposed by Democrats) and with a pay scheme attached (an increase of 5% income tax on those making over $200,000), the policy still polled well among many different sets of voters. This included net support from Obama-to-Trump voters and consistent nonvoters. Black voters and Latinx voters had a net support of 62% and 55%, respectively.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told The Nation today that she backs a jobs guarantee because “We need to get back to an economy that rewards workers, not just shareholder value and CEO pay.” Seems like this should be a no-brainer for Democrats to get on board.