LAND O'LAKES, Fla.—Mitt Romney won a major newspaper endorsement on Saturday, as the Des Moines Register's editorial board formally backed the GOP candidate's bid for the presidency.
It was the first time in 40 years the influential battleground state paper endorsed a Republican in the general election, dating back to its support of Richard Nixon in the 1972 election. The Register previously backed Romney in the 2012 GOP primary.
In an editorial published on the newspaper's website Saturday night, the Register called both Romney and President Barack Obama "superbly qualified," citing their service in government and the fact they are both "devoted husbands and fathers."
But according to the paper, it determined Romney was better positioned to "forge the compromises in Congress" necessary to turn the economy around, create jobs and get the federal budget back on track.
"Romney has made rebuilding the economy his No. 1 campaign priority--and rightly so," the Register's editorial read.
At the same time, the paper noted Obama's "best efforts to resuscitate the stumbling economy have fallen short."
