Tipsheet

NYT Roasted for Decision to Endorse Two Candidates

The New York Times was widely ridiculed by liberals and conservatives alike over its unconventional decision to endorse two Democratic candidates for president—Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

“The history of the editorial board would suggest that we would side squarely with the candidate with a more traditional approach to pushing the nation forward, within the realities of a constitutional framework and a multiparty country,” the editorial board wrote in explaining its decision. “But the events of the past few years have shaken the confidence of even the most committed institutionalists. We are not veering away from the values we espouse, but we are rattled by the weakness of the institutions that we trusted to undergird those values.”

But many were not on board with its endorsement approach this year.

"There will be those dissatisfied that this page is not throwing its weight behind a single candidate, favoring centrists or progressives," the paper acknowledges in its conclusion. "But it’s a fight the party itself has been itching to have since Mrs. Clinton’s defeat in 2016, and one that should be played out in the public arena and in the privacy of the voting booth. That’s the very purpose of primaries, to test-market strategies and ideas that can galvanize and inspire the country."