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New York Times endorses Clinton notably early in fall campaign

Hillary Clinton spoke in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday.Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The New York Times endorsed Hillary Clinton for president Saturday, not a surprising move given that the newspaper backed Democratic candidates in at least the past four presidential elections.

What is noteworthy is that the Times’ endorsement is coming early in the fall election campaign. Previously, the newspaper endorsed Barack Obama on Oct. 27, 2012, and on Oct. 24, 2008. The paper backed John Kerry on Oct. 17, 2004, and Al Gore on Oct. 29, 2000.

In-person presidential voting also got an early jump on this election, with voters casting ballots Friday in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Vermont, and even earlier this week in parts of Wisconsin.

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The endorsement comes two days before the first debate between Clinton and Donald Trump, an event that is expected to command high drama.

Clinton, the Times said, “has a record of service and a raft of pragmatic ideas.” The nation faces challenges, including “bigoted, tribalist movements” and “the despair and rage of poor and middle-class Americans.”

“Over 40 years in public life, Hillary Clinton has studied these forces and weighed responses to these problems,” the Times wrote.

The Times also said it would publish an editorial Monday on “why we believe Trump to be the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history.”