Mayoral candidate: U-T San Diego won’t endorse me because I’m not a Republican
San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher says he met with the U-T San Diego editorial board and was told that he was the kind of candidate they’d like to endorse, but they couldn’t because he’s not a Republican.
This is from the candidate’s transcript of the meeting:
Nathan Fletcher
U-T San Diego: How can we get behind you given that we’ve got a lot of Republican backing and Republican tradition? I think that puts us in a tough position. ….if there is a repudiation of the Republican party you know I think this place isn’t going to be super fond of that. And so that we have endorsements coming up and so I’m looking for a reason we can argue that we can say we should endorse me.
Nathan Fletcher: I understand that … but as a paper you’re going to have a make a decision, right? Are you here to endorse and advocate what is in the best interest of San Diego or endorse and advocate what is in the best interest of the Republican Party, and I can’t tell you that.
The paper said in an April 28 editorial that “Fletcher appeared to the U-T San Diego ownership and Editorial Board as the kind of person and the kind of candidate we would normally support and endorse with enthusiasm,” but he’s recently gone negative “and he has done little to answer lingering questions about whether his move to political independence was merely calculated strategy – expedience after he failed to win the local Republican Party endorsement.”
U-T San Diego — formerly the Union Tribune — was purchased last November by conservative hotel magnate Doug Manchester.
* A newspaper frets over Nathan Fletcher and the GOP brand (VoSD)
* Fletcher answered U-T San Diego’s questions (NathanFletcher.com)
* The question for Nathan Fletcher… (UT-San Diego)
* San Diego mayoral candidate Fletcher dumps GOP (LAT)
