This is the fourth update chronicling which newspapers have endorsed which presidential candidates.
As I have written previously, the conventional wisdom these days is newspaper endorsements for president no longer have the impact they once did. For one thing, ever fewer people read newspapers, particularly people under 35. A small but growing numbers of daily newspapers that used to endorse in the presidential race no longer do. The Chicago Sun-Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are among those that endorsed in 2008 but have quit. But most of the larger newspapers—The Wall Street Journal and USA Today being exceptions—continue to endorse, regardless of now much they are influencing people's votes.
The endorsements that seem to matter are those for local and state candidates. If they didn't matter, those candidates wouldn't still scramble to get them.
Newspaper endorsements for president may have an impact in one arena: 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 this was hardly a surprise, the
Dispatch hasn't endorsed a Democrat for president since it backed Woodrow Wilson for a second term in 1916. Barack Obama got the important endorsements of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer and
Akron Beacon-Journal, both of which endorsed him in 2008, but more enthusiastically.
In fact, lukewarm describes a majority of endorsements this year, for either candidate. There has also been much switching. So far, by my count, 30 newspapers that endorsed Obama in 2008 are endorsing Romney this year. That includes large circulation papers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Only four that endorsed John McCain are endorsing Obama. The one with the most potential impact is the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina.
Greg Mitchell, former editor of the newspaper trade journal
Editor & Publisher when it was still a print publication, started serious tracking of newspaper endorsements in 2000. 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 six days to go before the 2012 election is over, 86 daily and 38 weekly or twice-weekly papers have endorsed Obama; 126 daily and 32 weekly newspapers have endorsed Romney. Total circulation of the newspapers endorsing Obama: 15.7 million. Total for Romney: 9.6 million.
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.
(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
Fresno Bee
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
Ventura County Star
East Bay Express
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
IOWA
Press-Citizen
KENTUCKY
Lexington Herald Leader
The Messenger
MAINE
Bangor Daily News
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe
The Vindicator
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 (Weekly)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Portsmouth Herald
The Keene Sentinel
NEW JERSEY
Star Ledger
Bernardsville News (Weekly)
Echoes Sentinel (Weekly)
Hanover Eagle (Weekly)
Montclair Times (Weekly)
Mount Olive Chronicle (Weekly)
Observer Tribune (Weekly)
The Progress (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 •
Indy Week (Weekly)
OHIO
Akron Beacon Journal
The Blade
Cleveland Plain Dealer
The Vindicator
Athens News (Weekly)
Cincinnati CityBeat (Weekly)
Cincinnati Herald (Weekly)
OREGON
Daily Astorian
East Oregonian
Eugene Register-Guard
Medford Mail Tribune
Eugene Weekly
The Skanner (Weekly)
Willamette Week
PENNSYLVANIA
Delaware County Daily Times
The Express Times
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
York Daily Record/Sunday News
RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga Times
TEXAS
San Antonio Express-News •
The Austin Chronicle (Weekly)
UTAH
Salt Lake Tribune
VERMONT
Bennington Banner
Manchester Journal (Weekly)
VIRGINIA
Falls Church News-Press (Weekly)
WASHINGTON
The Everett Herald
The Seattle Times
Seattle Medium
The News Tribune
The Olympian
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)
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
CALIFORNIA
North County Times
San Diego Union-Tribune
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin •
Long Beach Press-Telegram •
Los Angeles Daily News •
Pasadena Star-News •
Press-Enterprise
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 °
Florida Today •
Naples Daily News •
Pensacola News Journal •
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Tampa Tribune
GEORGIA
Cherokee Tribune
ILLINOIS
Daily Herald •
Northwest Herald
Quincy Herald Whig °
Sauk Valley Telegraph & Gazette •
Southern Illinoisan
IOWA
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Des Moines Register •
Estherville Daily News
The Messenger
Quad-City Times •
Sioux City Journal
LOUISIANA
The Shreveport Times •
MAINE
Sun Journal °
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald
Cape Cod Times •
Eagle Tribune
The Sun
Sentinel & Enterprise
Telegram & Gazette •
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)
MISSOURI
Joplin Globe •
MONTANA
Billings Gazette •
NEBRASKA
Aurora News Register
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
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
The Telegraph •
Union-Leader
NEW YORK
Dunkirk Observer
New York Post
The New York Observer • (Weekly)
NORTH CAROLINA
The Daily Reflector
NORTH DAKOTA
The Bismarck Tribune
Minot Daily News
Grand Forks Herald
Jamestown Sun
The Forum
Dickinson Press (Weekly)
West Fargo Pioneer (Weekly)
OHIO
Cincinnati Enquirer
Columbus Dispatch
The Courier
The Lima News °
The Marietta Times
The Morning Journal
The Review
Salem News
Tribune Chronicle
The Advertiser Tribune
The Buckeye Lake Beacon (Weekly)
OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoman
OREGON
Grants Pass Daily Courier
McMinnville News-Register (Weekly)
Yamhill News-Register (Weekly)
PENNSYLVANIA
Altoona Mirror
Intelligencer-Journal •
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Williamsport Sun Gazette
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
Danville Register & Bee
Northern Virginia Daily
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
Superior Telegram
Hudson Star-Observer (Weekly)
New Richmond News (Weekly)
Pierce County Herald (Weekly)
River Falls Journal (Weekly)
Sun Prairie Star (Weekly)
WYOMING
Casper Star-Tribune •
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