PolitiFact examined seasonally adjusted figures BLS figures from December 2002 to December 2006 -- the month before Romney was inaugurated through his last full month is office.
Massachusetts did rank 47th in job growth during that time. PolitiFact again noted that governors have a small impacts on a state economies. It rated
Axelrod's claim Half True, saying that while the number was right, Obama’s campaign exaggerated Romney’s past control over Massachusetts’ job market.
PolitiFact also ruled
Half True a
statement by Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney adviser. He recently said that, under Romney, Massachusetts initially ranked last among states in job growth but moved up to "the middle of the pack" by the end of his term. While the rankings are basically correct, PolitiFact found that like the Obama campaign, Fehrnstrom exaggerated Romney’s impact on Massachusetts’ economy.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell made
comments very similar to Fehrnstrom’s during a June 3 interview on CNN, saying Massachusetts went from 47th to 30th in job creation while Romney was in office.