Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton claimed Tuesday there is "no evidence" to prove raising the minimum wage costs jobs.
"I also want to raise the minimum wage, and I support the effort here in Washington state to do that," Clinton said at a rally in Everett, Washington. "There is no evidence that the minimum wage being increased costs jobs, so I'm supporting what you're trying to do here, and I want to raise it across the country."
Clinton favors a $12 per hour minimum wage, 20 percent less than the $15 an hour desired by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). Clinton herself acknowledged last year she was hesitant to support a $15 minimum wage "because there are different economic environments. And what you can do in L.A. or in New York may not work in other places."
Clinton also earlier expressed concern that raising the wage as high as $15 at the federal level could cause "job loss and dislocation." Tuesday, however, she said there was no proof to show raising the minimum wage could kill jobs.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in November that Clinton's proposed wage hike would slash nearly 800,000 jobs, according to a study by two leading economists:
The Democratic frontrunner has said that she supports a $12 hourly wage and reiterated that position at Saturday’s Democratic debate because "that is what the Democrats in the Senate have put forward."
Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.) introduced the $12 wage as the Raise the Wage Act in March. Ananalysis conducted by economists William E. Even of Miami University and David Macpherson from Trinity University found that the bill would eliminate 770,000 jobs. Nearly 85 percent of the estimated job losses will come from those earning less than $100,000 each year.
"Presidential primary candidate Hillary Clinton has argued for a minimum wage increase as part of her policy platform to boost the middle class. But this analysis shows that those with household incomes between $35,000 and up to $100,000 would bear a large portion (43%) of the job loss from this higher minimum wage," the analysis says.
The middle class will not be the only earners hurt by this policy. More than 40 percent of the job losses would come at the expense of those earning less than $35,000 per year.