Javier Rodriguez, John Bound, and Arline Geronimus found that infant mortality rates were about 3% higher during years in which a Republican was president compared to a Democrat, 1965-2010. Geronimus says “Infant mortality has been sensitive to all sorts of social contextual factors—from nutritional factors, to access to health services, to stress during pregnancy. One might imagine [these factors] would be affected by political climates, ideologies, or policy.”

More about Rodriguez, Bound and Geronimus say infant mortality rates fluctuate by presidential party relative to general downward trend >