TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida labor officials are set to announce the state’s first unemployment figures since President Barack Obama was re-elected last week.

Gov. Rick Scott — whose political future could hang in the balance on his campaign promise to create 700,000 new jobs in Florida — is hoping October’s figures will be improved from the state’s 8.7 percent unemployment in September. Florida’s unemployment was eight-tenths of a percent higher than the national average in September.

Unemployment and job creation were a major part of the debate between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who has promised to create 12 million new jobs if elected. Scott has been quick to boast of improvements in the state’s unemployment numbers to the chagrin of Republicans who were anxious to blame Obama for high unemployment.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.