Can Unemployment Hurt Republicans?

Not as much:

The economist Douglas Hibbs has found that, historically, Democratic voters were more likely to punish incumbents for presiding over periods of high unemployment, while Republican voters were likely to punish incumbents for presiding over periods of high inflation. … Voters, it seems, don’t expect Republicans to do much about jobs, so they’re not penalized as much for inaction. Uncoöperative Republicans are really just delivering what their constituencies expect.