The Tampa Bay Times and the Dallas Morning News editorial boards endorsed Hillary Clinton on Friday, giving her crucial support going in to the next round of primary voting.
Both states will be crucial in the Democratic primary process, as Florida has 246 delegates and Texas has 252. Both primaries will be held in the next month, with Texas on March 1 and Florida on March 15.
Clinton narrowly won the Iowa caucuses and lost by double-digits to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. While she is expected to lose to Sanders in New England, her campaign is counting on the Southern states to help her clinch the Democratic nomination.
The Tampa Bay Times focused on Clinton’s vast experience and economic policy prowess in its endorsement, stating that Sanders is not prepared to “effectively protect” the United States.
“The battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination has been surprisingly close and could stretch beyond Florida’s March 15 primary. But only Clinton has the skill and experience to appeal to general election voters and build on President Barack Obama’s record,” The Tampa Bay Times wrote.
In its endorsement, the Dallas Morning News waxed poetic on Clinton’s time as a “firebrand feminist” working to register Hispanic voters in South Texas during the 1970s, saying her history of public service and public life makes her more eligible for the job. The paper also said she would do better in the general election.
“Democrats should vote for her March 1. She’s a better choice than another long-shot liberal senator, her surging rival Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont,” the Texas paper wrote. “A better choice not because he’s too liberal to win in November, though he is. She’s better because over her lifetime, Clinton has learned to temper her idealism without losing it.”
