How Can We Get Back to Creating Jobs?

(Oct. 7) -- A year and a half after the recession has officially ended, unemployment nationwide remains at 9.6 percent. In more than a dozen states, the jobless rate is 10 percent or higher.

AOL News reached out to opposing candidates in nearly a dozen House and Senate races in three of the hardest-hit states -- Nevada (14.4 percent unemployed); Michigan (13.1 percent unemployed) and California (12.4 percent unemployed) -- to get their views on how to restart the nation's jobs engine. Not all of those we invited agreed to write. Below are links to the op-eds we received.

Nevada

Earlier this year, Nevada eclipsed Michigan for the dubious distinction of the state with the highest unemployment rate. We asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his rival for the Nevada Senate seat, Sharron Angle, for their plans to turn this around.

Sen. Harry Reid (D): Putting Nevadans Back to Work
Sharron Angle (R) did not respond to invitations to write an op-ed on this topic.

Michigan

Michigan, which has taken the brunt of the domestic auto industry's decline, was also hard hit by the recession, particularly in the Detroit area (which includes the state's 13th Congressional District) and the northern part of the state (the 1st Congressional District).

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1st District
Dan Benishek, M.D. (R): My Prescription to Cure the Ailing Economy
Gary McDowell (D) declined an invitation to write an op-ed for AOL News on this topic.

13th District
John Hauler (R): Set Up Federal Tax-Free Zones in Worst-Hit Cities
Hansen Clarke (D) did not respond to invitations to write an op-ed for AOL News on this topic.

California

The Golden State's employment picture is anything but these days, with more than 2.2 million unemployed and the third highest jobless rate in the country. Senate candidates Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina, and congressional candidates Ami Bera and Dan Lungren (who are vying for California's 3rd Congressional District) offered their competing plans to boost job growth.

Senate
Carly Fiorina (R): I Know What It Takes to Create Jobs
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D): I'll Never Stop Fighting to Create Jobs

3rd District
Ami Bera, M.D. (D): My Plan for Job Creation and Economic Recovery
Rep. Dan Lungren (R): We Need to Unshackle Business to Expand and Grow

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Candidates Debate: How Can We Get Back to Creating Jobs?

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