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Various newspapers endorsed candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election, as follows. Tables below also show which candidate each publication endorsed in the 2012 United States presidential election (where known) and include only endorsements for the general election. Primary endorsements are separately listed - see Newspaper endorsements in the United States presidential primaries, 2016.
Among the United States' 100 largest newspapers by paid circulation, 57 endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton,[1] while only two, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Florida Times-Union, endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Four (the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and the Charleston (South Carolina) Post and Courier) endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson,[2] while three other newspapers (USA Today, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) specifically discouraged their readers from voting for Trump. Clinton won support from not only traditionally Democratic-leaning newspapers, but also traditionally non-political and conservative newspapers,[3][4][5] including those that had "...either never before supported a Democrat or had not in many decades ... or had never endorsed any presidential candidate, like USA Today."[3]
Trump received endorsements from only 20 daily newspapers and six weekly newspapers nationwide, of which only two, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, had circulations of above 100,000.[4] The small number of endorsements received by Trump was unprecedented in American history for a candidate from a major party.[6][7][8]
Media journalist Jim Rutenberg wrote in early October 2016 that endorsements in the 2016 presidential election were distinguished by "blunt condemnation" of Trump and by a "save the Republic" tone.[3] A handful of newspapers endorsed third party candidates, including independent candidate Evan McMullin and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson; endorsing a candidate outside the two major parties is rare.[4][5]
Summary of newspaper and magazine endorsements in the 2016 United States presidential election
| Candidate | Daily | Weekly | Magazines | College | International | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton | 243 | 148 | 15 | 77 | 17 | 500 |
| No endorsement | 64 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 82 |
| Not Donald Trump | 8 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 30 |
| Donald Trump | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 28 |
| Gary Johnson | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Split endorsement | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Evan McMullin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Not Hillary Clinton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
- ^ "2016 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
- ^ Evans, Garrett (October 5, 2016). "Gary Johnson getting more paper endorsements than Trump". The Hill. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c Rutenberg, Jim (October 5, 2016). "The Editorialists Have Spoken; Will Voters Listen?". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c Borchers, Callum (September 13, 2016). "Gary Johnson is now up to 5 daily newspaper endorsements. Donald Trump is stuck at zero". Washington Post.
Other reliably conservative newspaper editorial boards have shunned Trump and endorsed Hillary Clinton
- ^ a b Kite, Allison. "Gary Johnson Keeps Picking Up Newspaper Endorsements". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ Arrieta-Kenna, Ruairí (October 25, 2016). "These Are the Only 6 Newspapers in the Country to Endorse Donald Trump". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
No candidate has ever received so few endorsements.
- ^ Hod, Itay (October 7, 2016). "Donald Trump Makes History With Zero Major Newspaper Endorsements". Yahoo. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ Diaz, John. "Trump strikes out on newspaper endorsements". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
As of late last week, Trump had not been endorsed by a single major American newspaper, an unprecedented shutout for a Republican or Democratic nominee.