The American Presidency Project

2008 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers

Top 100 Newspapers Based on Daily Circulation

 

Scorecard Barack Obama Split John McCain None
 
Total Endorsements 65 2 25 8
Total Circulation 16,099,774 399,694 5,193,750 5,445,533
 
Endorsed Bush in 2004 10 2 23 2
Endorsed Kerry in 2004 51 0 0 3
Did not endorse in 2004 4 0 2 3
 
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Newspaper Circulation endorsee edition 2004 endorsee
USA Today 2,284,219 does not endorse candidates
The Wall Street Journal 2,069,463 generally does not endorse candidates
The New York Times 1,077,256 Obama October 23 Kerry
Los Angeles Times 773,884 Obama October 19 none
The Daily News (New York) 703,137 Obama October 18 Bush
The New York Post 702,488 McCain September 8 Bush
Washington Post 673,180 Obama October 17 Kerry
Chicago Tribune 541,663 Obama October 17 Bush
Houston Chronicle 494,131 Obama October 18 Bush
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) 413,332 McCain October 25 Bush
Newsday (Melville, NY) 379,613 Obama November 1 Kerry
San Francisco Chronicle 370,345 Obama October 17 Kerry
Dallas Morning News 368,313 McCain October 18 Bush
The Boston Globe 350,605 Obama October 14 Kerry
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) 345,130 Obama October 25 Kerry
Philadelphia Inquirer 334,150 Obama October 17 Kerry
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 330,280 Obama October 19 none
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 326,907 Obama October 19 Kerry
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) 322,362 Obama October 26 Kerry
St. Petersburg Times 316,007 Obama October 26 Kerry
The Chicago Sun-Times 312,274 Obama October 18 Kerry
Detroit Free Press 308,944 Obama October 18 Kerry
The Oregonian (Portland) 304,399 Obama October 18 Kerry
The San Diego Union Tribune 288,669 McCain October 19 Bush
The Sacramento Bee 268,755 Obama October 12 Kerry
The Indianapolis Star 255,303 SPLIT October 26 Bush
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 255,057 Obama October 12 Kerry
The Kansas City Star 252,785 Obama October 18 Kerry
The Orange County Register (CA) 250,724 did not endorse none
The Miami Herald 240,223 Obama October 18 Kerry
San Jose Mercury News 234,772 Obama October 4 Kerry
The Sun (Baltimore) 232,360 Obama October 25 Kerry
The Orlando Sentinel 227,593 Obama October 19 Kerry
San Antonio Express-News 225,447 McCain October 19 Bush
The Rocky Mountain News 225,226 NONE October 18 Bush
The Denver Post 225,193 Obama October 17 Bush
The Seattle Times 220,863 Obama September 21 Kerry
Tampa Tribune 220,522 McCain October 17 none
South Florida Sun-Sentinel 218,286 Obama October 26 Kerry
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 217,755 Obama October 25 Kerry
The Courier-Journal - (Louisville, KY) 215,328 Obama October 17 Kerry
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 214,374 Obama October 12 Kerry
The Cincinnati Enquirer 212,369 McCain October 24 Bush
The Charlotte Observer 210,616 Obama October 24 Kerry
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 207,045 Obama October 25 Bush
The Oklahoman - (Oklahoma City) 201,771 McCain October 26 Bush
The Columbus Dispatch 199,524 McCain October 19 Bush
Saint Paul Pioneer-Press 191,768 NONE October 18 Bush
The Detroit News 188,171 McCain October 23 none
Contra Costa Times (CA) 183,086 Obama October 12 Kerry
The Boston Herald 182,350 McCain October 1 Bush
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 182,212 McCain November 2 Bush
New Orleans Times-Picayune 179,834 Obama October 26 none
Omaha World-Herald 178,545 McCain October 26 Bush
The Buffalo News 178,365 Obama October 19 Kerry
The News & Observer - (Raleigh, NC) 176,083 Obama October 19 Kerry
Richmond Times-Dispatch 175,265 McCain October 26 Bush
The Virginian Pilot 175,005 did not endorse Kerry
Las Vegas Review-Journal 174,341 McCain October 19 Bush
Austin American-Statesman 170,309 Obama October 19 Bush
The Hartford Courant 168,158 Obama October 26 Bush
The Palm Beach Post 164,474 Obama October 19 Kerry
Press-Enterprise - (Riverside, CA) 164,189 McCain October 18 Bush
The Record - (Hackensack, NJ) 163,329 Obama October 26 Kerry
Investor’s Business Daily 161,421 McCain October 21 Bush
The Tennessean - Nashville 161,131 Obama October 13 Kerry
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 150,911 McCain November 2 Bush
The Fresno Bee 150,334 Obama October 15 Kerry
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) 146,961 Obama October 16 Kerry
Democrat & Chronicle - Rochester 145,913 Obama October 26 Kerry
The Florida Times-Union 144,391 SPLIT October 19 Bush
Daily Herald - Arlington Heights, IL 143,152 Obama October 19 Kerry
Asbury Park Press - Neptune, NJ 140,882 Obama October 19 Bush
The Birmingham News 140,438 McCain October 26 Bush
The Honolulu Advertiser 140,331 NONE November 2 Kerry
The Providence Journal 139,055 Obama October 26 Bush
The Des Moines Register 138,519 Obama October 26 Kerry
The Los Angeles Daily News 137,344 Obama October 18 Kerry
Seattle Post-Intelligencer 129,563 Obama October 6 Kerry
The Grand Rapids Press 128,930 McCain October 26 Bush
The Salt Lake Tribune 121,699 Obama October 19 Bush
The Akron Beacon Journal 119,929 Obama October 19 Kerry
The Blade - Toledo, OH 119,901 Obama October 12 Kerry
The Knoxville News-Sentinel 117,262 McCain October 26 Bush
Dayton Daily News 116,690 Obama October 19 Kerry
Sarasota Herald-Tribune 114,904 Obama October 19 Kerry
La Opinion - Los Angeles 114,892 Obama October 17 Kerry
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) 113,373 Obama November 2 Kerry
Tulsa World 112,968 McCain November 2 Bush
The News Tribune - Tacoma 111,778 Obama October 22 Kerry
The News Journal - New Castle, DE 110,171 Obama October 22 Kerry
Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY 110,061 Obama October 26 none
Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader 109,624 Obama October 19 Kerry
Morning Call - Allentown, PA 108,797 NONE October 23 Kerry
Journal News - Rockland County 108,092 Obama October 26 Kerry
Philadelphia Daily News 107,269 Obama October 24 Kerry
Albuquerque Journal 102,902 McCain November 2 Bush
The State (Columbia, SC) 101,010 McCain October 24 Bush
Post and Courier - Charleston, SC 100,400 McCain November 2 Bush
The Daytona Beach News-Journal 99,627 Obama October 19 Kerry

 

Notes

• Data compiled by Gerhard Peters after reviewing original editorials of the listed newspapers.• It is standard policy that USA Today does not endorse political candidates

• The Wall Street Journal and The Orange County Register, papers that did not endorse a candidate in 2004, had not announced an endorsement, nor explicitly stated they would not endorse, through Sunday November 2, 2008.
• The Virginian Pilot announced in October 2007 it would no longer endorse presidential candidates.
• Many other sources of similar endorsement data incorrectly identify the Honolulu Advertiser as having endorsed Barack Obama in its October 26 edition by citing a column by Hawaii Democratic Party Chairman Brain Schatz. A pro-McCain column also appeared that same day. On November 2, 2008, the Honolulu Advertiser's list of endorsements excluded any endorsement for president.
• Top 100 Newspapers determined by circulation data available from BurrellesLuce at http://www.burrellesluce.com/top100/?cid=thl_FL_X16F732V

Citations

Gerhard Peters. "2008 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers."
The American Presidency Project. Ed. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California. 1999-2008.