New York Daily News and the Staten Island Advance put an interesting twist on the endorsement genre in recent days with hold-your-nose-and-vote recommendations for congressional candidate Michael Grimm.
New York Magazine called them the “worst endorsements ever,” noting that the double-helpings of disdain may have condemned him “with some of the faintest praise of all time.”
Like Grimm, many candidates throughout the U.S. have earned grudging, lukewarm endorsements from their respective papers as election day nears. Here’s some excerpts from the best — or worst — nods from editors across America in 2014.
- From a Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer endorsement of Sen. Kay Hagan:
Kay Hagan has been a disappointment to many voters who sent her to the U.S. Senate six years ago – and to this editorial board, which recommended her.
She has done about the minimum you’d expect from a U.S. senator, with few if any notable legislative achievements. She has a chronic reluctance to take firm positions on controversial issues, leaving voters wondering what she believes in and will act upon.
- From a Wausau (Wisconsin) Daily Herald endorsement of Gov. Scott Walker:
Our Editorial Board discussion revealed our discomfort with both candidates. The list of things we disagree with Walker about is considerable: Common Core implementation (we’re for it; he has called for it to be ended), voter ID (it’s unnecessary and potentially harmful), Medicaid expansion. And in Walker’s interviews and public statements, it is hard to avoid a sense that he is not always being straightforward with the public. All of these things are problems for us.
- From a New York Times endorsement of Gov. Andrew Cuomo:
Another major disappointment was Mr. Cuomo’s failure to veto redistricting maps in 2012. Those maps were designed by legislators to thwart competition and harden the status quo in Albany. A state constitutional amendment on the November ballot — Proposal One on revising the state’s redistricting procedure — would undoubtedly make things worse. Mr. Cuomo should stop pushing for this deeply flawed measure.
- From a Seattle Times endorsement of state Sen. Marko Liias:
Liias is part of a frustrating chorus of candidates who are open to new tax revenue without being specific or prescriptive. He also promoted legislation and endorses an initiative to lower class size — a measure that comes with vast possibilities for even more state expense.
Liias is a veteran in Olympia from a supportive district, yet he is reluctant to assert any independence from powerful interests, such as the state’s teachers union.
- From a Detroit Free Press endorsement of Gov. Rick Snyder:
Snyder, the Republican incumbent, promised a pragmatic approach to the state’s problems and delivered — except when he was caving to radical elements of the GOP-led Legislature or going back on his word about transparency.
…And so by the narrowest of margins, with keen reservations, the Free Press endorses Rick Snyder for a second, four-year term as Michigan’s governor.
- From a (Arlington Heights, Illinois) Daily Herald endorsement of McHenry County sheriff candidate Jim Harrison:
Harrison is by no means flawless, having admitted more than a decade ago to overbilling McHenry County for legal work, which he chalked up to clerical errors. And he lacks Prim’s extensive law enforcement background.
- From an Indiana (Pennsylvania) Gazette endorsement of Gov. Tom Corbett:
Corbett deserves plenty of blame for his tin-eared style of communicating a message. Tight-lipped when he should have been openly advocating for his initiatives, Corbett managed to throw up roadblocks to his goals all by himself. It’s no wonder that a recent poll found that a majority of voters think the state is “on the wrong track” and that Corbett is trailing in the polls.
- From an Ames (Iowa) Tribune endorsement of Story County attorney Stephen Holmes:
We have heard complaints about Holmes’ management style and that the environment he creates within is office may be a reason for what Howell claims has been unusually high turnover among the staff.
…The endorsement comes with a caveat, though.
If the complaints about low morale in his office are true, and if it is a factor in the turnover in his office, we encourage Mr. Holmes to address those concerns and work to resolve them.
- From a York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf:
Still, Mr. Wolf’s support from teacher unions worries us that he would dump more money into the system without much reform to show for it.
We know he opposes the charterization of the York city schools, but he doesn’t seem to have any big ideas on how to fix the alarming financial and academic problems in that high-poverty district.
What we’d really like from Mr. Wolf is a promise that he’d govern from the center, not from the far left.
We probably won’t get that promise, but we can look at his record of successfully balancing the competing interests of profits, costs, the cold-hearted free market and fairness to employees as an indication that he could meet a Republican Legislature in the middle to move the state forward.
Know of any backhanded endorsements I missed? Send them to bmullin@poynter.org and I’ll add them to the list.
