The San Diego Union-Tribune’s editorial endorsed Hillary Clinton Friday morning, adding its name to a growing list of newsrooms that have broken tradition in order to oppose the candidacy of GOP nominee Donald Trump.
In the 148 years that the San Diego Union-Tribune has been in circulation, it has never supported a Democratic candidate for president.
Trump has changed that.
“Terrible leaders can knock nations off course. Venezuela is falling apart because of the obstinance and delusions of Hugo Chavez and his successor. Argentina is finally coming out of the chaos created by Cristina Kirchner and several of her predecessors,” the paper’s board wrote Friday.
“Trump could be our Chavez, our Kirchner. We cannot take that risk,” they added.
Like the other papers this year that have broken their years-long streak of endorsing only Republicans for president, the San Diego Union-Tribune was careful to note that it has misgivings about the Democratic nominee.
“We understand the lack of enthusiasm for her candidacy, the anger over her private email server, family foundation and income from Wall Street speeches, and the questions about how America fared in foreign affairs when she was secretary of state,” the board wrote.
Still, even with these shortcomings, they wrote, Clinton is infinitely preferable to Donald Trump, who is “vengeful, dishonest and impulsive.”
They board continued, noting it hasn’t endorsed a Democratic candidate in the more than 140 years that they’ve been selling newspapers.
“But we endorse Clinton. She’s the safe choice for the U.S. and for the world, for Democrats and Republicans alike,” the board wrote.
With its endorsement of Clinton, the San Diego Union-Tribune adds to this year’s trend of traditionally GOP-friendly and otherwise apolitical newspapers pulling for the Democratic nominee.
On Sept. 7, the Dallas Morning News announced its support for Hillary Clinton, ending its 75-year streak of endorsing only GOP candidates for president. On Sept. 23, the Cincinnati Enquirer shattered a nearly century-old tradition of backing only Republicans for president when it threw its support behind the Democratic nominee. On Sept. 27, the Arizona Republic backed Clinton over Trump, marking the first time since it started printing newspapers in 1890 that it had chosen a Democrat over a Republican.
And on Sept. 29, USA Today encouraged voters to back anyone but Trump, breaking its 34-year history of taking no side in presidential elections. USA Today did not endorse Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, the Green Party’s Jill Stein or Independent candidate Evan McMullin. Rather, its message to readers was: Vote for anyone but the GOP nominee.
Though these editorial boards have expressed misgivings about Clinton, and each has been careful to note she has several shortcomings, the bottom-line has been the same across the board: She is not as bad as Trump.
