• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Finance

Here’s Who the Economy Is Predicting Will Win on Super Tuesday

By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 1, 2016, 6:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Today is the most important so far in the 2016 election, with 12 states making their voices heard on both the Democratic and Republican sides.

And while we’ve heard a lot about the demographic makeup of the states that will vote on March 1st, we’ve heard less about state of their local economies, and how that might affect the outcome of the primaries. Given the fact that the vast majority of Americans say the economy is a driving factor in their decision making, it would be logical that voter behavior will be highly correlated with the state of the local economy.

How will that play out? The conventional wisdom is that states with the better-fairing economies will likely back the candidates that are seen as part of the political establishment—in this case Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio—and the states with the slowest growth and highest unemployment are most likely to go with the outsiders—Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and, possibly, Ted Cruz. Of course, the polls are suggesting that Trump and Clinton will walk away from Super Tuesday with the biggest gain in delegates. But a look at the economies of the states may tell us where we may see some upsets.

The Housing Market

The housing markets in Super Tuesday states have fared better than the nation at large, according to analysis from online real estate firm Trulia. The largest economy in play tomorrow—Texas—leads the way with a more than 50% increase in the median home price since 2011. That could be bad for Cruz in his home state, as voters that may have gone to him could lean toward Rubio.

What’s more, the fact that Trump is leading in the polls, may suggest that supporters are gravitating to him out of purely economic desperation. But the housing market data suggests otherwise. As for Clinton, the home price appreciation probably bodes well for her, especially if housing price increases erase memories of the housing bust, which is closely associate with Wall Street, the misdeeds of which are a big theme of Sanders’ campaign.

Foreclosures

We should, however, pair our analysis of home price appreciation with foreclosure data. Some of the states that have seen the biggest increases in home prices were also those where the real estate crisis hit the hardest.

The following chart shows the Super Tuesday states for which foreclosure data is publicly available. Data on foreclosure sales as percentage of overall home sales aren’t publicly available for Alaska, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas, unfortunately, but looking at the states whose data we do have is illuminating:

The states that have dealt with the worst of the foreclosure crisis, like Colorado and Minnesota, are also those the experts are predicting Sanders has the best chance of winning. Those predictions are in part due to the fact that these states hold caucuses, which tend to benefit the candidate with the most energetic following more than in primary states. But an added boost could come from the fact that these states have also experienced a more severe version of the foreclosure crisis than the typical American state. And, of course, that will play into Sanders calls for the need to further reform Wall Street and our financial sector as well.

Wages

One prime cause of American economic dissatisfaction is the slow growth in wages. Worker pay has grown slightly higher in the past four years in Super Tuesday states. Still, that’s not saying much. Per capita income growth has been pretty tepid across the country, without much variation. But there still remain large variation in where people workers own the most money per year, with those in Massachussetts earning almost 65% more per year than those in Arkansas.

This may matter. Polls have shown that Trump has had his strongest support among lower income Americans.

Job Gains and the Unemployment Rate

When it comes to job growth and the overall unemployment rate, Super Tuesday states have also fared better than the country at large.

As you can see from the above map, unemployment is higher in southern states, many of which are places where Donald Trump is polling best. But the economic data may point to at least one upset for The Donald. Rubio has put a log of Super Tuesday chips on Virginia, spending a lot of his time and campaign dollars there. If the economic data is an indicator, he may be able to pull off a victory there. Among the Super Tuesday states, Virginia has one of the lowest rates of unemployment.

At the same time, many of the southern states with the highest rates of unemployment are where the more establishment candidate on the democratic side, Clinton, is ahead in the polls. So that may indicate the economy doesn’t matter as much, at least to Democratic voters.

When it comes to job gains, Texas again shows off its relative economic strength in recent years, along with Colorado, which obviously shook off some of the housing-crisis related economic pain that it felt in the immediate wake of the crisis to post above-average job growth.

No matter who wins, when the results of Super Tuesday are in, we’ll have a better idea of whether the unemployment rate, and wages and housing is as important to voters as they say, or whether this is finally the election where it’s stupid to say it’s just the about the economy.

 

About the Author
By Chris Matthews
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Current price of Bitcoin for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks July 1, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on July 1, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
DHL plane being refuelled at airport by man in high-vis jacket
EnergyAviation
The Iran conflict saw jet fuel prices soar—when you use 1.88 million tonnes a year, how you respond really matters (just ask DHL)
By Sam ForsdickJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 30 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 30 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
1 day ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
8 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.