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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

FactChecking Sen. Kamala Harris

FactChecking Sen. Kamala Harris

As a former 2020 presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris — now presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate — was on our fact-checking radar this election cycle. Here’s a rundown of the claims we addressed.

Gillibrand’s Inaccurate Equal Pay Claim

Gillibrand’s Inaccurate Equal Pay Claim

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was wrong when she said it took until April 2 of this year for a female worker to “earn the same as a white man doing the same job” did in 2018.

The Final Push: Clinton

The Final Push: Clinton

As the election comes to a close, we provide a sampling of the misleading claims made by Hillary Clinton during speeches this week.

Clinton’s Equal Pay Claim

Clinton’s Equal Pay Claim

Hillary Clinton claims that Donald Trump said “women will start making equal pay as soon as we do as good a job as men.” But that’s not exactly what he said. Trump does not support equal pay legislation, but he has said that he believes in paying people based on performance, not gender.

FactChecking the Michigan Senate Race

FactChecking the Michigan Senate Race

The Michigan Senate race pits Democratic Rep. Gary Peters against Republican Terri Lynn Land, a former Michigan secretary of state, to replace the retiring Sen. Carl Levin.

Cherry-Picking Salary Data in Oregon

Cherry-Picking Salary Data in Oregon

An ad from Republican Monica Wehby cherry-picks data to make the case that Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is “paying the women on his staff thousands less than their male counterparts.”

Trading Jabs in Michigan

Trading Jabs in Michigan

Republican Terri Lynn Land and the Democratic Party trade barbs in the Michigan Senate race, but both ads mislead voters.

Playing Politics with the Pay Gap

Playing Politics with the Pay Gap

Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn took a page from Democrats when she wrongly claimed that “the White House [is] paying women 88 cents for every dollar that a guy earns in comparable positions.” That’s not a comparison of “comparable positions.”

Obama’s 77-Cent Exaggeration

Obama’s 77-Cent Exaggeration

A TV spot from the president’s reelection committee says women are “paid 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men.” That’s not true. The ad falsely states that the pay gap is for doing “the same work.” It also implies that discrimination by employers is responsible for the difference. That’s an exaggeration..
The main point of the ad is to tout Obama’s signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009.