The Arizona Republic endorsed Hillary Clinton on Friday, claiming that while Bernie Sanders put up a good fight in the nominating process, the former secretary of state “deserves her due.”
“Sanders has been good for American politics and good for Clinton, who needed a challenge, not a coronation. He has made her a better candidate,” the newspaper explained in their endorsement .
With the Arizona primary coming up on Tuesday, Clinton currently leads Sanders 48.5 percent to 21.5 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, but not much polling has been done in the state during the primary season.
The Sanders campaign has said that they hope to perform well in the border state and also win the Utah and Idaho caucuses, which also occur next Tuesday.
While the Republic claims that Sanders has “been a delight” even though his campaign originally seemed to be “a titled lance at a little extra airtime for gimcrack socialist ideas,” they also insisted its time to unify around the “battle tested” candidate. Clinton wide ranging experience in foreign policy and on social issues make her the more serious and realistic option, they argue.
“[It’s] [n]ot just because she has risen higher than any woman in American politics, but because she is by far the most experienced candidate of any of those running in either party this year,” the Arizona Republic editorialized. “In fact, she is one of the most experienced people to ever run for president.”
