'Newsday' to Endorse Kerry

By: Joe Strupp Newsday of Melville, N.Y., plans to endorse John Kerry in its Sunday edition, editorial page editor Jim Klurfeld revealed Friday, adding that the decision followed a discussion in which both candidates were found to have serious negatives. This marks the fifth straight presidential election in which the paper has backed a Democrat since returning to endorsements in 1988 after a 16-year hiatus.

"There was a feeling that the case against Bush was very strong. We felt that Bush had split the country further." Klurfeld told E&P Friday. "But the case for Kerry was problematic. His lack of decisiveness, his being too willing to please different political constituencies, were a problem. In the end would he stand up and make the tough decisions or try to split the difference?"

But Klurfeld said the 12-person editorial board ?- which met Tuesday evening to finalize its pick -? believed Kerry would offer "a fresh start. And has a chance to bring the country together."

Newsday also finalized plans to withhold endorsements in at least five of the 30 state legislative races within its circulation area because editors do not believe either candidate is worthy. "Either because the incumbent was too much a part of the problem or the challenger did not offer an alternative," Klurfeld explained. "We said the bar has to be set very high." Elsewhere in New York, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle is following a similar approach and not endorsing candidates for state-level races in its circulation area.