Daily Endorsement Tally: Kerry Picks up 30 Papers, Widens Lead
By Greg Mitchell
Published: October 17, 2004 11:00 AM EDT
NEW YORK Sen. John Kerry picked up a raft of newspaper endorsements Sunday, widening his lead over President George W. Bush in this area.
Kerry gained the editorial backing of at least 30 papers while Bush won the support of 17 that we know of, giving Kerry the overall lead by 45-30 in E&P's exclusive tally. Kerry has more large papers on his side, maintaining his "circulation edge" at nearly 3-1, with approximately 8.7 million circ to Bush's 3.3 million. (See chart, with complete tally, below.)
Bush did pick up several major papers this weekend, earning the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune, The Arizona Republic, Denver's Rocky Mountain News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 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, Colo., the Columbia Daily Tribune in Missouri, the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill., and The Muskegon (Mich.) Chronicle.
Three other papers that backed Bush in 2000 announced they would not support either candidate this year: The Tampa Tribune, the Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas, and the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal.