A political endorsement is a public declaration of one's personal or group's support of a candidate for elected office. In a multiparty system, where one party considers that it does not have enough support to win power, just prior to the election, the official representative of that party may give an official endorsement for a party that they consider more likely to be a contender. In Australian electoral law, "electoral endorsement" is a specific term and a candidate can only be endorsed by a registered party. There are also presidential endorsements.
By journalists
According to a 2002 study, editorial endorsements of candidates by newspapers[1] led voters to evaluate endorsed candidates more favorably than candidates who fail to secure an editorial endorsement.[2] An editorial political endorsement of national political races can result in the perception of reduced journalistic objectivity, while endorsement in local political races can be seen non-partisan.[3] Reduced political accountability from journalism is a risk to democracy.[4] Scientific credibility of scientific organizations can be reduced with editorial political endorsements.[5]
References
^Ansolabehere, Stephen; Lessem, Rebecca; Snyder, Jr, James M. (October 2006). "The orientation of newspaper endorsements in U.S. elections, 1940–2002". Quarterly Journal of Political Science. 1 (4). Now Publishing Inc.: 393–404. doi:10.1561/100.00000009.
