The Washington Post

====Political endorsements====
In the vast majority of U.S. elections, for federal, state, and local office, the ''Post'' editorial board has endorsed [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates.<ref name=Pexton2012>{{cite news |author=Patrick B. Pexton |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |title=Patrick Pexton: The Post's endorsements historically tend Democratic |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en |date=November 2, 2012 |access-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705150603/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The paper's editorial board and endorsement decision-making are separate from newsroom operations.<ref name=Pexton2012/> Until 1976, the ''Post'' did not regularly make endorsements in presidential elections. Since it endorsed [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, the ''Post'' has endorsed Democrats in presidential elections, and has never endorsed a Republican for president in the general election,<ref name=Pexton2012/> although in the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]], the ''Post'' declined to endorse either Governor [[Michael Dukakis]] (the Democratic candidate) or Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] (the Republican candidate).<ref name=Pexton2012/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |title=Post Makes No Endorsement |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1988 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105025222/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed Barack Obama in 2008<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |title=Barack Obama for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 17, 2008 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422090843/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2012;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |title=Washington Post Endorsement: Four More Years for President Obama |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027202419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hillary Clinton]] in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |title=Hillary Clinton for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 13, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013112353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Joe Biden]] for [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 28, 2020 |title=Joe Biden for president |language=en |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/ |access-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005211345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/?arc404=true |url-status=live }}</ref>

While the newspaper predominantly endorses Democrats in congressional, state, and local elections, it has occasionally endorsed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates.<ref name=Pexton2012/> While the paper has not endorsed Republican candidates for [[governor of Virginia]],<ref name=Pexton2012/> it endorsed [[Governor of Maryland|Maryland Governor]] [[Robert Ehrlich]]'s unsuccessful bid for a second term in 2006.<ref name=Pexton2012/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |title=Wrong Choice for Governor |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 26, 2006 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629002651/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, it repeated its historic endorsements of every Republican incumbent for Congress in [[Northern Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |title=For Congress in Virginia |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 30, 2006 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |archive-date=August 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821080558/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed Virginia's Republican U.S. Senator [[John Warner]] in his Senate reelection campaign in 1990, 1996 and 2002; the paper's most recent endorsement of a Maryland Republican for U.S. Senate was in the 1980s, when the paper endorsed Senator [[Charles Mathias|Charlies "Mac" Mathias Jr.]]<ref name=Pexton2012/> In U.S. House of Representatives elections, [[Moderate Republicans (modern United States)|moderate Republicans]] in [[Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], including [[Wayne Gilchrest]], [[Thomas M. Davis]], and [[Frank Wolf (politician)|Frank Wolf]], have enjoyed the support of the ''Post''; the ''Post'' also endorsed Republican [[Carol Schwartz]] in her campaign in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=Pexton2012/>