Editor & Publisher: Kerry Has "Huge Lead" in Endorsements

[highplainsdem]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000673213

Senator John Kerry picked up a raft of newspaper endorsements on Sunday, widening his lead over President George W. Bush in this area.

Kerry gained the editorial backing of at least 28 papers, with Bush winning the support of 14 that we know of, giving Kerry the lead by 43-27 in E&P's exclusive tally. He has many more large papers on his side, maintaining his "circulation edge" at nearly 3-1: approximately 8.5 million to 3 million (we will post a complete tally later today).

However, Bush did pick up the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune, Arizona Republic, the Denver Rocky Mountain News, the Indianapolis Star and The Dallas Morning News.

Among Kerry's new supporters were five papers that had backed Bush in 2000: the Bradenton Herald in Florida, the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, the Columbia Tribune in Missouri, Colorado and the Daily-Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill., and Muskegon (MI) Chronicle.

Two other papers that backed Bush in 2000 announced they would not pick either candidate this year: the Tampa Tribune and the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal.

-snip-

Many of the editorials backing Kerry denounced the incumbent in unusually harsh language. The Miami Herald accused Bush of "narrow partisanship." Up the coast, the Daytona paper cited his "embarrassing performance." The Sacramento Bee said, "The nation has paid a steep price for Bush's arrogance - mounting deficits and debt at home, loss of standing and effectiveness abroad...." For The New York Times, his presidency has simply been "disastrous."

In supporting Bush, The Indianapolis Star nevertheless called both candidates "unsatisfying" and The Chicago Tribune, in backing Bush, also seemed a bit torn: "There is much the current president could have done differently over the last four years. There are lessons he needs to have learned. And there are reasons--apart from the global perils likely to dominate the next presidency--to recommend either of these two good candidates."

-snip-

the Tampa Tribune, which has long backed Republicans, declared that it found itself in "a position unimaginable four years ago" when it "strongly endorsed" the president. While it has no deep affection for Kerry it expressed disappointment in Bush, and so it would "not be lending our voice to the chorus of conservative-leaning
newspapers endorsing the president's re-election....But we are unable to endorse President Bush for re- election because of his mishandling of the war in Iraq, his record deficit spending, his assault on open government and his failed promise to be a 'uniter not a divider' within the United States and the world."

[JPace]

1. This is great news but.....

will it mean more votes for Kerry?

[janx]

4. Probably. More importantly though, it seems to echo

a trend.

[spanone]

2. There's that damn 'Liberal Media' !!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. How does this compare to Gore vs. shrubya endorsements I wonder?

[elperromagico]

6. I couldn't find data for 2000, but papers

have generally favored Republicans over Democrats. 

This data is from Editor and Publisher for 1968-1996, and from
other historical sources for 1932-1960. I found it in an old
college textbook of mine.

Political Division of Daily Newspapers in Presidential
Elections, 1932-1996.

         Republican  Democrat     Other/Neutral 
1932     55.5%       38.7%         5.8%
1936     60.4%       34.5%         5.1%
1940     66.3%       20.1%        13.6%
1944     60.1%       22.0%        17.9%
1948     65.2%       15.4%        19.4%
1952     67.3%       14.5%        18.2%
1956     59.0%       17.0%        24.0%
1960     54.0%       15.0%        31.0%
1964     34.7%       42.4%        22.9%
1968     60.8%       14.0%        24.0% (Wallace: 1.2%)
1972     71.4%        5.3%        23.3%
1976     62.0%       12.0%        26.0%
1980     42.2%       12.0%        42.0% (Anderson: 3.8%)
1984     57.7%        9.4%        32.7%
1988     31.2%       13.3%        55.4%
1992     14.9%       18.3%        66.8% (Perot: 0.12%)
1996     18.7%       10.9%        69.9% (Other: 0.5%)

The only two instances where more papers endorsed the Democrat
than the Republican were in '64 and '92. 

[fugue]

5. Fax this to CNN

Apparently they only reported on three papers that endorsed Bush.

[antigop]

7. Fort-Worth Star-Telegram also endorsed Bu$h today

<sigh>

Guess I'll have to susbscribe to the NY Times.