Confirmed: New Hampshire Union Leader To Endorse John McCain

Three years of careful courtship and a relentless focus on the Iraq war have paid off for Sen. John McCain.

Republican sources confirm that the New Hampshire Union Leader, the state's influential conservative daily based in Manchester, will endorse McCain in an editorial to be published tomorrow morning.

McCain first sat down with Union Leader publisher Joseph McQuaid three years ago and spoke at the Nackey Loeb dinner, honoring a beloved former publisher of the paper. McCain and wife Cindy have even contributed to the paper's Christmas fund. In 2000, the paper's editorialists attacked McCain and endorsed Steve Forbes. Then, McQuaid called McCain "the most liberal guy on the Republican side.) The paper endorsed Pat Buchanan in 1992 and 1996 and, er, Pete DuPont in 1988.

But this year, McQuaid has praised McCain for his foresight and sticktoitiveness on Iraq in several front page editorials.

McCain's campaign aides declined to comment.

Monday, his campaign begins a six-day bus tour in the state.

Comments

It is a trememdous positive boost for John McCain to receive the Union Leader's endorsement. But what is most important about the endorsement is that it is Editor Joe McQuaid's way of telling Republican voters that no, he does not accept Rudy Giuliani as the Conservative Republican that Giuliani is rather outrageously claiming to be, and no, he doesn't accept Mitt Romney's new positions, particularly the one on abortion, as being authentic.

McCain's chances in New Hampshire took a turn for the better when he received Sam Brownback's endorsement. See
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977170759

The Union Leader's endorsement is especially helpful to McCain because he still has appeal to Independent voters, since he is a classic Independent himself.

See

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977190489

Posted by David Mirsky | December 1, 2007 11:09 PM

McCain is TOO old. Check his birthdate!!!

Years as a POW is no preparation for the position
as leader of the free world.

In many ways he is another "treat 'em rough boys.

Posted by Noble Freden | December 1, 2007 11:21 PM

Live free or die? Jeeze, McCain doesn't seem very Libertarian.Would have thought Ron Paul.

Posted by Leanne | December 1, 2007 11:43 PM

I don't see why there isn't more press about why liberals would rather face ANYONE but Dr. Ron Paul. Much as we'd like politics to be positive, it is in fact ruled almost entirely by negatives. For instance, what's the biggest negative the Republican Party is facing in 2008? Iraq - a staggering 70% of people favor IMMEDIATE withdrawl from Iraq. Who is the only candidate that doesn't have that negative? Dr. Paul, who advocates using those trillions of dollars to secure our border (perhaps against Saudis who were 20 of the 24 terrorists in 9/11) and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure which is far more worrying than the loss of Social Security. Hm, full employment, withdrawl from Iraq and a huge boost to our economy from rebuilding our infrastructure - what Democrat wants to run against that. Hence the behavior of known liberal biased network CNN, who wants us to nominate either Guiliani or Romney - both of whose negatives are so high the copy practically writes itself! Even McCain - I can see the swift boating based on him being a torture victim as if it were already written.

Posted by Louis Nardozi | December 2, 2007 11:10 AM

I was intrigued to read the background on McCain's relationship with the Union-Leader editorial board, and that they had not endorsed him in 2000... very good info to have...

I have two pieces on my own blog, commenting on the endorsement...

Posted by ElectionNightHQ.com Publisher | December 2, 2007 9:35 PM