The Des Moines Register’s backing of Mitt Romney last week was a significant and news-making endorsement because the paper had backed President Barack Obama in 2008. But there are several additional papers which have turned away from the president after endorsing him four years ago.
The Daily Herald of Obama’s home state of Illinois wrote: “[W]e endorse Romney because he, unlike Obama, understands that jobs are a creation of business, not of government,” and the Naples Daily News of Florida in its endorsement wrote, “While we believe the national economy is on the way back, we believe it will take another administration change, to Romney, to bring the leadership that will make that recovery timely, robust and sustainable.”
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Other newspapers to switch to Romney from Obama include: Florida Today, Pensacola News Journal, Naples Daily News, Quad City Times (Iowa, Ill.), Los Angeles Daily News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Reno Gazette-Journal, Orlando Sentinel, New York Observer, Houston Chronicle, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and The Tennessean.
Some observers dismiss newspaper endorsements.
When asked by CBS News if editorial endorsements still matter, Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College, said, “The short answer is no. But at this stage in the campaign, you're looking for every edge you can get, even if it's a microscopic edge."
The exception is when a newspaper goes against expectations and previous political leanings, Dan Hazelwood, a Republican strategist, told CBS News.
"If a traditionally left paper endorses Romney, or a traditionally right paper endorses Obama, that matters, because people go, 'Huh, that's curious,’ Hazelwood said.
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