How Did the Washington Post’s Endorsements Fare This Election?

Here are the Post’s endorsements in seriously contested elections (endorsing safe incumbents doesn’t really prove anything one way or the other, so no sense including them); here’s how the Post did.

Governor: Terry McAuliffe (WON)

Lt. Governor: Ralph Northam (WON)

Attorney General: Mark Herring (UNDECIDED)

District 2: Mark Dudenhefer (LOST to Democrat Michael Futrell by 223 votes)

District 10: Randy Minchew (WON by 15 points over Democrat Monte Johnson)

District 13: Atif Qarni (LOST by 3 points to Republican “Sideshow Bob” Marshall)

District 31: Jeremy McPike (LOST by 228 votes to Republican Scott Lingamfelter)

District 32: Tag Greason (WON by 3 percentage points over Democrat Elizabeth Miller)

District 33: Mary Costello Daniel (LOST by 11 points to Republican Dave LaRock)

District 34: Kathleen Murphy (LOST by 1.5 points to Republican Barbara Comstock)

District 51: Reed Heddleston (LOST by 7.5 points to Republican Richard Anderson)

District 67: Jim LeMunyon (WON by 9 points over Democrat Hung Nguyen)

District 86: Tom Rust (WON by 57 votes – pending possible recount – over Democrat Jennifer Boysko)

District 87: John Bell (LOST by 187 votes to Republican David Ramadan)

Total: 4-7 on seriously contested House of Delegates races; 2-0 (with the AG race undecided) in statewide races. Not much sign of clout there, frankly, on the House of Delegates races. It’s also hard to argue there was much of any “juice” at the state level either, as Northam was going to win no matter what, and basically no Virginia newspapers endorsed Cuccinelli, so it’s hard to argue that the Post’s endorsement of McAuliffe was anything particularly (or at all?) powerful in terms of influencing the election.

P.S. The Daily Press endorsed  Republican Mike Watson in the 93rd district, and he lost (by 4 points to Democrat Monty Mason). They endorsed Democrat Rob Farinholt in the 94th, and he lost too (by 3 points to Republican David Yancey). The Virginian Pilot endorsed Democrat Linda Bryant in the 78th HoD district (she lost by a wide margin to Republican Jay Leftwich); Republican Ron Villaneuva in the 21st (he won by 9 points over Democrat Susan Hippen); Republican Glenn Davis in the 84th (he won by 15 points over Democrat Brent McKenzie); and Democrat Bill Dale in the 85th (he lost by 13 points to Republican Scott Taylor). Again, not much sign that newspapers have any particular “juice” in terms of their endorsed candidates.