The Chicago Tribune, a Windy City newspaper that historically backs Republican candidates, endorsed Libertarian Gary Johnson on Friday calling him “practical,” “agile” and “experienced.”
“Libertarians Gary Johnson of New Mexico and running mate William Weld of Massachusetts are agile, practical and, unlike the major-party candidates, experienced at managing governments,” the paper said. “They offer an agenda that appeals not only to the Tribune’s principles but to those of the many Americans who say they are socially tolerant but fiscally responsible.”
The Tribune has a long history of supporting Republican presidential candidates and did not endorse a Democrat for president until 2008 when then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama ran for president. They also endorsed Obama’s re-election in 2012.
While the Johnson endorsement might be a hit for Illinois native Hillary Clinton, the refusal to back this year’s Republican nominee also speaks to the paper’s lack of support for Donald Trump.
The paper suggested that both Trump and Clinton have appealed to voters whose beliefs are not in the best interest of all Americans.
“How did pandering to aggrieved niche groups and seducing blocs of angry voters replace working toward solutions as the coin of our governing class? How could the Democratic and Republican parties stagger so far from this nation’s political mainstream,” the paper asked.
The support also comes as Johnson was criticized for his high-profile comments earlier this week, where he failed to identify a foreign leader he admires. He also came under fire recently for not knowing Aleppo — the besieged city in Syria.
The endorsement is the second for Johnson in two days. The Detroit News endorsed the former New Mexico governor Thursday admitting that backing him is “the longest of long shots.”
“We recognize the Libertarian candidate is the longest of long shots with an electorate that has been conditioned to believe only Republicans and Democrats can win major offices,” the News said. “But this is an endorsement of conscience, reflecting our confidence that Johnson would be a competent and capable president and an honorable one.”
