Utah’s largest newspaper endorses Clinton
The largest newspaper in Utah has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, the latest sign of trouble for Donald Trump in the deep-red state.
The Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday backed Clinton, marking the third straight election its endorsed a Democrat for president.
{mosads}”It has been amusing, to a degree, to watch the circus that was the Republican primary process struggle and fuss and finally produce such a disappointment to be its presidential nominee,” wrote the 145-year-old newspaper’s editorial board of Trump.
Despite Clinton’s a “reputation for secrecy and dishonesty,” the Tribune declared that Trump has “built a campaign on insults and bigoted statements, finally losing any right to be taken seriously with the recent release of a video in which he was heard to brag about his ability to get away with sexually assaulting women.”
The Salt Lake Tribune surprisingly endorsed President Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney in 2012 despite the latter’s Mormon faith and leadership role in the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. The paper also endorsed Obama over Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in 2008.
A shocking Y2 Analytics poll released Wednesday showed Clinton and Trump tied at 26 percent each in Utah, with independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin at 22 percent and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson at 14 percent.
In 2012, Romney beat Obama by nearly 50 points in Utah.
Prominent Utah Republicans have fled Trump in the wake of Friday’s release of leaked tapes from 2005 showing Trump speaking vulgarly about groping women and attempting to have sex with married women.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Gov. Gary Herbert both rescinded their endorsements of Trump, while Rep. Mia Love said she can’t vote for him and Sen. Mike Lee called on Trump to leave the GOP’s presidential ticket.
“The fact is that the next president of the United States will be one of two people, one eminently qualified and painfully forged, the other a total disgrace. Serious voters will focus on that,” the Tribune concludes.
“And the best choice, without a doubt, is Hillary Clinton.”
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