Endorsements

Starting Saturday, The Herald-Dispatch will start its string of endorsements for various races in the primary election. All the partisan elections will be in the Democratic primary, as there are very few contested Republican primary elections in this area. The race for state attorney general is the only one that comes to mind.

We've argued internally about whether we should endorse in a primary election, and we have argued over who to endorse.

Whether to endorse for Huntington mayor and who to endorse has been the one getting the most attention internally, and it has caused the most arguing. That one comes late next week, after we see the candidates in the Tuesday night forum.

I don't know how much weight endorsements really carry. In this area, an endorsement from The Herald-Dispatch often is a kiss of death, so maybe candidates shouldn't want it. I'm only half-kidding, in case you ask.

I do know that the New York Times is trying to backtrack from its endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Will we regret some of our endorsements? Probably. But that's what happens when you get into the game.