This is the third update chronicling which newspapers are endorsing which presidential candidates. As noted previously, many observers believe that newspaper endorsements no longer have much impact on how people vote. That is in part because so many fewer people read newspapers, particularly people under 35. Even for those Americans who still do read newspapers, the endorsements that really seem to matter aren't those for candidates at the top of the party tickets but rather for local races.
A small but growing numbers of daily newspapers that used to endorse in the presidential race no longer do. But despite the evidence that they aren't being listened to even by the people who do read them, editors continue to write those endorsements, particularly at the nation's largest newspapers.
In one arena they may have an impact: swing states where the vote is likely to be close. Dan Schnur, the director of the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California and veteran of four presidential races, told NPR:
If you are the newspaper in the most important swing market in the most important swing state in a very close presidential election, you still matter a lot. And the Columbus Dispatch endorsement really does matter.
That endorsement in the crucial state of Ohio went to Mitt Romney. But Barack Obama got the endorsement of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer and
Akron Beacon-Journal.
As mentioned in previous posts on this subject, serious tracking of newspaper endorsements was begun in 2004 by Greg Mitchell, who then was editor of the newspaper trade journal
Editor and Publisher, which is now published only on line. Mitchell currently writes for
The Nation.
The day before the election in 2004, he had tallied 273 daily and weekly newspaper endorsements for John Kerry to George W. Bush's 205. The day before the election in 2008, 407 daily and weekly newspapers had endorsed Barack Obama, against 212 for John McCain. Among the 123 members of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, 57 had endorsed Obama; zero McCain.
With eight days to go before the 2012 election, 71 daily and 31 weekly or twice-weekly papers have endorsed Obama; 102 daily and 27 weekly newspapers have endorsed Romney. It should be noted that 20 of Romney's weekly endorsements come from small-circulation papers in Minnesota owned by Forum Communications.
Total circulation of the newspapers endorsing Obama: 14.4 million
Total for Romney: 8.6 million
Twelve major newspapers (those of 75,000 circulation and more) are not endorsing this year. Some traditionally do not do so; others have recently chosen not to do so. The 12: The Wall Street Journal; USA Today; Chicago Sun-Times; The Oregonian; Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; Deseret News; Knoxville News Sentinel; Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Daytona Beach News-Journal; Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Indianpolis Star; and the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Below the fold you can see what the endorsement list looks like so far this year. A • means the newspaper changed parties in its endorsement for president this year compared with 2008. A ° means the newspaper didn't endorse any presidential candidate in 2008.
In comments, please add to the list any endorsements you know of that haven't been included or that I've mistakenly put in favor of the wrong candidate.
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(Please continue reading below the fold)
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Barack Obama
ALABAMA
Montgomery Advertiser
ARIZONA
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson Weekly (Weekly)
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Times (Weekly)
CALIFORNIA
Contra Costa Times
Fremont Argus
Hayward Daily Review
La Opinión
Los Angeles Times
Marin Independent Journal
Oakland Tribune
The Sacramento Bee
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Examiner •
San Jose Mercury News
San Mateo County Times
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Independent Coast Observer (Weekly)
The Riverside County Record (Weekly)
Sacramento News & Review (Weekly)
Santa Barbara Independent (Weekly)
COLORADO
Aspen Times
Durango Herald
The Denver Post
Daily Camera
Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Aurora Sentinel (Weekly)
Boulder Weekly
Colorado Springs Independent (Weekly)
Out Front Colorado (Weekly)
CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register
Hartford Courant
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Washington Post
FLORIDA
Miami Herald
The Tampa Bay Times
ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune
Freeport Journal-Standard
KENTUCKY
Lexington Herald Leader
The Messenger
MAINE
Bangor Daily News
MICHIGAN
Detroit Free Press
Kalamazoo Gazette
Muskegon Chronicle
MLive Detroit
Saginaw News (Weekly)
Bay City Times (Weekly)
The Flint Journal (Weekly)
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
MISSOURI
Kansas City Star
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis American
NEBRASKA
Lincoln Journal Star •
NEVADA
Las Vegas Sun
Reno News & Review
NEW JERSEY
Star Ledger
Montclair Times (Weekly)
NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News
Santa Fe New Mexican
Taos News
NEW YORK
Asbury Park News
Buffalo News
The New York Times
Poughkeepsie Journal
The New Yorker (magazine)
New York Amsterdam News (Weekly)
Queens Tribune (Weekly)
NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville Citizen Times
Charlotte Observer
Raleigh News & Observer
The Winston-Salem Journal •
OHIO
Akron Beacon Journal
The Blade
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Athens News (Weekly)
Cincinnati CityBeat (Weekly)
Cincinnati Herald (Weekly)
OREGON
Daily Astorian
Eugene Register-Guard
Medford Mail Tribune
Eugene Weekly
The Skanner (Weekly)
Willamette Week
PENNSYLVANIA
Delaware County Daily Times
The Philadelphia Inquirer
RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga Times
TEXAS
San Antonio Express-News •
The Austin Chronicle (Weekly)
UTAH
Salt Lake Tribune
VERMONT
Manchester Journal (Weekly)
VIRGINIA
Falls Church News-Press (Weekly)
WASHINGTON
The Everett Herald
The Seattle Times
The News Tribune
Northwest Asian Weekly
Pacific Northwest Islander (Weekly)
The Stranger (Weekly)
WEST VIRGINIA
The Charleston Gazette
The Glenville Democrat (Weekly)
The Glenville Pathfinder (Weekly)
WISCONSIN
Wausau Daily Herald
The Capital Times (2x Weekly)
Gary Johnson
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga Free Press
MISSOURI
Saint Joseph Telegraph ° (Weekly)
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Mitt Romney
ALABAMA
The Tuscaloosa News
The Gadsden Times
ARIZONA
Arizona Republic
Casa Grande Dispatch
Prescott Daily Courier
White Mountain Independent (Weekly)
CALIFORNIA
North County Times
San Diego Union-Tribune
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Los Angeles Daily News
Pasadena Star-News
Redlands Daily Facts
San Bernardino Sun
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Torrance Daily Breeze
Whittier Daily News
COLORADO
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
The Pueblo Chieftain
Longmont Times-Call
Loveland Reporter-Herald
Colorado Springs Gazette °
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Washington Examiner
FLORIDA
The Orlando Sentinel •
Florida Times Union
Naples Daily News
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Tampa Tribune
GEORGIA
Cherokee Tribune
ILLINOIS
Daily Herald
IOWA
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Des Moines Register •
Estherville Daily News
The Messenger
Quad-City Times
Sioux City Journal
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald
Cape Cod Times
Eagle Tribune
The Sun
Sentinel & Enterprise
MICHIGAN
Royal Oak Daily Tribune •
Detroit News
Grand Rapids Press
Jackson City Patriot
Macomb Daily
MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune
Bemidji Pioneer
The Republican Eagle
West Central Tribune
Duluth Budgeteer News (Weekly)
Alexandria Echo-Press (Weekly)
Becker County Record (Weekly)
Blackduck American (Weekly)
Detroit Lakes Tribune (Weekly)
East Ottertail Focus (Weekly)
Farmington Independent (Weekly)
Hancock Record (Weekly)
Hastings Star-Gazette (Weekly)
Lake Area Press (Weekly)
Lake County News Chronicle (Weekly)
Morris Sun Tribune (Weekly)
Osakis Review (Weekly)
Park Rapids Enterprise (Weekly)
Rosemount Town Pages (Weekly)
South Washington County Bulletin (Weekly)
The Pine Journal (Weekly)
Wadena Pioneer Journal (Weekly)
Woodbury Bulletin (Weekly)
Worthington Daily Globe (Weekly)
MONTANA
Billings Gazette
NEBRASKA
Omaha World Herald
Newman Grove Reporter
Scottsbluff Star Herald
NEVADA
Elko Daily Free Press
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Reno Gazette Journal •
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Foster's Daily Democrat
New Hampshire Union-Leader
NEW YORK
Dunkirk Observer
New York Post
The New York Observer • (Weekly)
NORTH DAKOTA
The Bismarck Tribune
Minot Daily News
Grand Forks Herald
Jamestown Sun
The Forum
Dickinson Press (Weekly)
West Fargo Pioneer (Weekly)
OHIO
Cincinnati Inquirer
Columbus Dispatch
The Marietta Times
The Buckeye Lake Beacon (Weekly)
OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoman
OREGON
McMinnville News-Register (Weekly)
Yamhill News-Register (Weekly)
PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
TENNESSEE
Jackson Sun
The Tennessean •
TEXAS
Beaumont Enterprise
Bryan Eagle
The Dallas Morning News
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Galveston Daily News
Houston Chronicle •
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
The Lufkin Daily News
Tyler Morning Telegraph
VIRGINIA
Richmond Times Dispatch
The Winchester Star
WASHINGTON
Spokesman Review
The Vancouver Columbian •
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
WEST VIRGINIA
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Charleston Daily Mail
Huntington Herald Dispatch
The Inter-Mountain
Martinsburg Journal
Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Weirton Daily Times
The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
WISCONSIN
Green Bay Press Gazette
Hudson Star-Observer (Weekly)
New Richmond News (Weekly)
Pierce County Herald (Weekly)
River Falls Journal (Weekly)
Sun Prairie Star (Weekly)
Superior Telegram
WYOMING
Casper Star-Tribune
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