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Endorsement war: Romney 9, Obama 4

The 2012 presidential campaign has entered endorsement season as newspapers around the country put their editorial weight behind President Barack Obama or former Gov. Mitt Romney.

In this contest, the number of endorsements hardly matters. More telling is how many papers have switched allegiances from four years ago. In that race, Romney has a wide lead: Nine newspapers that endorsed Obama in 2008 have come out in support of the former Massachusetts governor while four that supported Sen. John McCain in 2008 have thrown their support to the president.

(PHOTOS: Newspaper endorsements)

The Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Nashville Tennessean, Orlando Sentinel, Reno Gazette-Journal, New York Observer, Billings Gazette, The Columbian (Wash.) and the Daily Tribune (Mich.) all supported then-Sen. Obama in 2008 and are supporting Gov. Romney in 2012, according to the Romney campaign.

The San Antonio Express-News, Lincoln Journal Star, Winston-Salem Journal and the San Francisco Examiner* supported Sen. McCain in 2008 and are supporting Obama in 2012, according to the Obama campaign.

*The San Francisco Examiner has come under new ownership since 2008.