A prominent conservative New Hampshire newspaper made its first-ever endorsement of a Democratic presidential candidate in its more than 100-year history today, backing former Vice President Joe Biden over President Trump.
The New Hampshire Union Leader editorial board, which supported only Republicans for over a century, noted there is “no love lost” between them and President Trump, who called the paper’s publisher a “lowlife” in 2015 after it endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the GOP primary.
While the editorial board said it had hoped the Oval Office “might mold a more respectful and presidential man” out of Trump, it concluded that he is “100 percent wrong for America” despite “many admirable accomplishments” on foreign policy, judicial appointments, taxes and gun policy.
But the paper took note of Trump’s lack of fiscal conservatism, accused him of stoking division and shirking responsibility on the pandemic, and said while it has “significant” policy disagreements with Biden, he is nonetheless a “caring, compassionate and professional public servant.”
The paper, which endorsed Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in the primary, noted that Biden was “among the most moderate” in the primary field and predicted he would be a “thoughtful and pragmatic public servant,” but added that voters should created a “backstop” by electing “a healthy dose of GOP senators and representatives.”
The Union Leader’s endorsement is far from the only precedent-breaking one this year, with USA Today, popular science magazine Scientific American and Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Día making their first ever presidential endorsements, all for Biden.
Trump narrowly lost New Hampshire to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Trump won 46.6 percent of the state’s votes compared to 47 percent that went for Clinton.
But three New Hampshire polls carried out in October show Biden with a wide double-digit lead over Trump.
A poll by the University of New Hampshire shows Biden ahead by 12 percentage points, with the support of 55 percent of the state’s likely voters as opposed to just 43 percent who back the incumbent president.
Polling by The Boston Globe/Suffolk University shows Biden leading by 10 percentage points, or 51 percent to 41 percent.
And a survey by St. Anselm College in Manchester shows Biden with the backing of 53 percent of voters compared to just 41 percent supporting Trump—a 12-point margin in favor of the Democrat.