United State of America election is arguably the biggest election in the world and its gradually getting interesting between the Republican Candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Candidate Hilary Clinton.
The evolution of digitization of new and social media has change the way citizen vote for their preferred canditate. With recents politcal endorsement being made to the public by social media, the question now is does newspaper endorsements matter?
Not everyone thinks so. In a 2008 study by the Pew Research Center, 69 percent of respondents said a newspaper endorsement had “no effect” on their vote.
But a research paper published in the National Bureau of Economic Research that year found an exception: When they were unexpected. For example, if a conservative editorial board endorsed a Democrat or a liberal editorial board endorsed a Republican.
It’s still early for newspaper endorsements for Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson, but already there have been a few.
See the list below for some of the unexpected endorsements so far.
Dallas Morning News: Clinton
Publication: The Dallas Morning News
State: Texas is safe Trump territory
Endorsement History: Republican. The last time the Morning News didn’t endorse the Republican nominee was 1964, when it was neutral in the contest between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater.
2016 Endorsement: Clinton
Quote: “We’ve been critical of Clinton’s handling of certain issues in the past. But unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has experience in actual governance, a record of service and a willingness to delve into real policy. Resume vs. resume, judgment vs. judgment, this election is no contest.”
Houston Chronicle: Clinton
Publication: The Houston Chronicle
State: Texas is safe Trump territory
Endorsement History: Republican. The newspaper typically backs the Republican nominee with two exceptions: Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and Barack Obama in 2008.
2016 Endorsement: Clinton
Quote: “Any one of Trump’s less-than-sterling qualities—his erratic temperament, his dodgy business practices, his racism, his Putin-like strongman inclinations and faux-populist demagoguery, his contempt for the rule of law, his ignorance—is enough to be disqualifying. His convention-speech comment, ‘I alone can fix it,’ should make every American shudder. He is, we believe, a danger to the Republic.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Johnson
Publication : The Richmond Times-Dispatch
State: Virginia is a battleground state
Endorsement History: Republican. The Times-Dispatch has endorsed the Republican nominee for president since 1980.
2016 Endorsement: Johnson
Quote: “Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton meets the fundamental moral and professional standards we have every right to expect of an American president. Fortunately, there is a reasonable—and formidable—alternative.”
Winston-Salem Journal: Johnson
Publication: The Winston-Salem Journal
State: North Carolina is a battleground state
Endorsement History: Mixed. The newspaper endorsed George W. Bush in 2000, neither candidate in 2004, John McCain in 2008 and Barack Obama in 2012.
2016 Endorsement: Johnson
Quote: “We’ve surprised even ourselves with this endorsement, our first for a Libertarian for president. But the timing has never been better for this particular Libertarian, Gary Johnson of New Mexico. He is everything the presidential candidates for the two major parties are not, thank God.”
New Hampshire Union Leader: Johnson
Publication: The New Hampshire Union Leader
State: New Hampshire is a battleground state
Endorsement History: Republican. The newspaper has endorsed the Republican presidential nominee for over 100 years.
2016 Endorsement: Johnson
Quote: “Voters leaning toward Trump are understandably fed up with the status quo, of which Clinton is a prime example. But they kid themselves if they think Trump isn’t pretty much a part of that status quo as well, or that he is in any way qualified to competently lead this nation.”