The three democrats say the Bush Administration devastated Franklin County's economy, causing more than 18,000.
But the numbers are not quite so clear. According to the Franklin County Job and Family Services archives, almost 19,000 people have lost jobs in Franklin County since 2001. But Bill LaFayette, an economic analyst with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, said the number is higher than that. He said it's closer to 23,000 jobs. And that does not include this year.
Franklin County Democratic Chairman William Anthony specifically blamed the Bush Administration for factories that have shut down in Columbus. He recalled the Delphi plant on Georgesville Road that closed in late 2007. More than 400 people were out of work when it closed and more than 500 people previously took early retirement buyouts.
"They used to manufacture door locks. And they moved all that operation over to China. And you know they did so because it was easy to move stuff to China instead of making the plant work here. Most of it was because of cheaper labor and less restriction," Anthony said.
Three Democrats claim Franklin County has lost thousands of jobs in recent years as a result of Bush administration policies. State Representatives Dan Stewart and Ted Celeste and Ohio House hopeful John Carney link plant closures and layoffs to the GOP. But local Republicans accuse of the Democrats of using scare tactics.
Those jobs did leave the country, but UAW Local 969 president Mark Sweazy said production from that plant went to Mexico.
Franklin County GOP executive chairperson Doug Preisse said with Election Day little more than a month away, he's not surprised some Ohio democrats are trying to link local job loss to the Bush Administration. He said it's going to be a tough sell in Franklin County.
"It's political silly season to a degree. It's no secret the incumbent president is not popular right now, and it's also no secret that the tough economic times are affecting all families. So it sounds like the local democrats taking advantage of that and preying on people's fears. There's plenty of blame to go around," Preisse said.