Des Moines Register endorses Rubio and Clinton in Iowa caucuses

Marco Rubio’s campaign got a boost Saturday as the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s most influential newspaper, endorsed the senator from Florida for the Republican presidential nomination.

“Marco Rubio has the potential to chart a new direction for the party, and perhaps the nation, with his message of restoring the American dream. We endorse him because he represents his party’s best hope,” the paper said.

On the Democratic side, the newspaper’s editorial said this of Clinton: “No other candidate can match the depth or breadth of her knowledge and experience.”

The editorial made note of Clinton’s top rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and the emotional appeal he’s generated in the party: “In the final analysis, Iowa Democrats will have to choose between the lofty idealism of Bernie Sanders and the down-to-earth pragmatism of Hillary Clinton. For some, this will be a choice of whether to vote with their hearts or their heads.”

Rubio will probably be helped more from the endorsement. “Republicans should have learned from 2012 that they cannot win with Republicans alone. Recent polling shows Rubio has higher favorability ratings among independents than all candidates but Ben Carson, as well as positive ratings among Latinos,” the Register said.

Polling, though, has also shown Rubio far behind Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and real estate mogul Donald Trump in the battle for votes in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus, the nation’s first. They tend to be competing for the same conservative, fed-up audience. Rubio’s appeal tends to be among more establishment Republicans.

“We believe Rubio can inspire the base with his ideas on improving the economy, education system and social programs,” the Register said.

It said that in two meetings with the editorial board, “the whip-smart senator displayed an impressive grasp of public policy detail, reeling off four-point plans on foreign policy and other issues. He proposes overhauling higher education and promoting vocational training, helping workers threatened by automation acquire skills rewarded by a new economy.

“Rubio would prime that new economy by embracing innovation. He would auction off portions of the wireless spectrum controlled by government, allowing freer flow of online traffic. He’d remove barriers to enable the next Uber to take off. He’d require a cost-benefit analysis of federal regulation.”

The Register endorsed Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, for the 2012 GOP nomination. Romney lost by a handful of votes to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Register endorsements are often used by candidates in radio and television ads during the final week of the Iowa campaign. They tend to carry more weight on the Democratic side because of the Register’s reputation for an often liberal-leaning editorial board.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Des Moines Register endorses Rubio and Clinton in Iowa caucuses."