In a front page editorial in Tuesday's New Hampshire Union Leader, publisher Joe McQuaid slams GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and criticizes the notion that only the former Massachusetts governor stands a chance of defeating President Barack Obama in November.
McQuaid begins by outlining the popular narrative surrounding Romney's campaign. "The pollsters and pundits have told us what is going to happen today. Mitt Romney is going to swamp all comers ... because someone has decided he is the only Republican who can beat Barack Obama," McQuaid writes.
"But now it's New Hampshire's turn, and New Hampshire has this funny little habit of turning conventional wisdom on its head and deciding things for itself," McQuaid continues. "Voters here may decide that Newt Gingrich was right on Sunday to call Romney's claims of being a non-politician 'pious baloney.'"
McQuaid endorsed the former House speaker in November.
The Union Leader, the Granite State's largest newspaper, has been credited as a major source of influence in past elections. In 2008, the paper endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the GOP presidential nomination, a move that some say helped propel him to victory in the state's primary.
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