The Des Moines Register, the largest and most influential newspaper in Iowa endorsed the presidential candidacy of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney Saturday evening. 
 
 
 
 “He stands out in the current field of Republican candidates,” writes the Register’s editorial board in the endorsement. “Rebuilding the economy is the nation’s top priority, and Romney makes the best case among the Republicans that he could do that.” 
 
 The endorsement acknowledged that Romney has transformed from a “one-time independent to moderate Republican in liberal Massachusetts to proud conservative today” but added: “It should be possible for a politician to say, ‘I was wrong, and I have changed my mind.’” 
 
 In endorsing Romney, the Register also had harsh words for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who it called “an undisciplined partisan who would alienate, not unite, if he reverts to mean-spirited attacks on display as House speaker.” 
 
 As for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who is running in the top tier along with Romney and Gingrich in Iowa, the Register editorial board said that his “libertarian ideology would lead to economic chaos and isolationism, neither of which this nation can afford.” 
 
 It’s not entirely clear that the Register endorsement — particularly in a Republican primary has a large amount of influence. In 2008, the paper endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain who finished well back of the leaders. 
 
 But, Romney winning the endorsement could provide him a bit of a boost in the final two weeks before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, which kick off the presidential nomination fight. 
 
 Unlike 2008, when Romney spent $10 million and untold hours campaigning in the state, he has been far more hands-off in the Hawkeye State this time around. Until the last few weeks, Romney had not run any television ads in the state and had campaigned there only sparingly. ||||| The Des Moines Register on Saturday endorsed Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination, citing his “wisdom, sobriety and judgment.” 
 
 The editorial board of Iowa’s highest-circulation newspaper noted that it didn’t back the former Massachusetts governor in his last run four years ago, but argued “this is a different field, and he has matured as a candidate. Rebuilding the economy is the nation’s top priority, and Romney makes the best case among the Republicans that he could do that.” 
 
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 The editorial went on to defend Romney against some of the attacks against him, paying particular attention to the charge that the candidate has flip-flopped on issues. 
 
 “Though Romney has tended to adapt some positions to different times and places, he is hardly unique. It should be possible for a politician to say, ‘I was wrong, and I have changed my mind.’” 
 
 Until recently, Romney hadn’t been focusing as much attention on the state this year as in the 2008 cycle. But he’s stepped up his appearances there in the closing weeks before the Jan. 3 caucus, as Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul have been demonstrating increased strength there. 
 
 The Register took time out from expressing its support of Romney to blast those two. 
 
 “Newt Gingrich is an undisciplined partisan who would alienate, not unite, if he reverts to mean-spirited attacks on display as House speaker. Ron Paul’s libertarian ideology would lead to economic chaos and isolationism, neither of which this nation can afford,” the editorial board wrote. 
 
 But while the endorsement provides the Romney campaign an additional show of support ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses in a fluid race that’s now on its fifth frontrunner in state polls, the newspaper hasn’t always been successful in swaying voters. Seen as having a liberal-leaning editorial board, the paper tends to carry more weight in Democratic primaries. 
 
 “I love the Des Moines Register, but I don’t feel like they have a lot of influence in the Republican primary,” said Steve Grubbs, an Iowa political veteran who was running Herman Cain’s campaign in the state but is now unaffiliated. “I don’t think their views are in line with the average Republican primary voter.” 
 
 In 2008, the paper endorsed John McCain, who was the eventual nominee but lost the Iowa caucuses. In 2000, the paper endorsed George W. Bush, who won the caucuses and the nomination. The paper also went with Dole in 1988 over George H.W. Bush. 
 
 “Our endorsement decision was informed by watching and listening to the candidates. We read widely — their speeches, position papers and contrary views. And we had the opportunity to question the candidates in interviews with the editorial board,” the Register wrote in a statement accompanying the endorsement. 
 
 “Our goal is to answer one question: who among these candidates would make the best leader for our country, should he or she land in the White House,” said Register editor Rick Green. 
 
 The Register is not known for echoing its endorsement in succeeding columns and news coverage, as the Union Leader does in New Hampshire. That newspaper, which also tends to have more resonance with Republican in the state, backed Gingrich last month. 
 
 But an endorsement from the Register can help, not hurt, a candidate, said Chip Saltsman, who ran the 2008 campaign of Mike Huckabee — not endorsed by the Register, but the caucus winner. 
 
 “At the end of the day you would say, ‘Yeah, I would take the endorsement,’” Saltsman said. 
 
 With less than three weeks until the caucuses, all of the candidates are angling to expand their base and beat expectations on election day. Endorsements are ready-made campaign fliers, often full of positive descriptions and glowing calls for support. 
 
 The Register has a circulation of more than 200,000 on Sunday. It tends to carry more weight on the Democratic side of the contest said former Register columnist David Yepsen, who described it as the “flip side” of The Union Leader endorsement. 
 
 “All things being equal, a Republican would rather have the endorsement than not,” Yepsen said. “It’s one more positive piece of information that you add to the puzzle.”
– The Des Moines Register has meted out its presidential endorsement, and it's going with a Republican for the first time since Nixon. While acknowledging deep divisions both in the nation and its editorial board, the Register, which also endorsed Mitt Romney during the Republican primaries, looks with an eye toward who can "forge the compromises in Congress" needed to fix the economy, and decides the challenger emerges the stronger candidate. The LA Times calls the endorsement "notable because of the Register's long history of supporting Democrats," but more importantly, "it may offer a window into the mood of heartland voters in a state that is a crucial battleground." Team Obama, meanwhile, won one in a state that is decidedly not swinging: The New York Times comes out swinging for the incumbent today, dismissing Romney as a candidate with a murky, "regressive" economic plan who "has gotten this far with a guile that allows him to say whatever he thinks an audience wants to hear." While dinging Obama on "individual policy choices," the Times decides he is "clearly ready for the partisan battles" that lie ahead and "we enthusiastically endorse" him for a second term—with hope that "his victory will be accompanied by a new Congress."