After what seems like the longest-ever campaign season, the nation is barreling toward Election Day, with Monday’s debate clearly defining the differences between the two candidates in terms of policies, intellect and behavior. Most voters have made up their minds, and now it’s about time for those who are undecided, and those who find themselves waffling, to make their picks.

It’s noteworthy that, at crunch time, three major newspapers with proud histories of supporting Republican values have thought long and hard, weighed the pros and cons, and have publicly announced their endorsements — of Hillary Clinton. Yes, Republican newspapers endorsing Clinton.

Believe us, it’s not an easy decision for a newspaper to go against its traditional political grain. Even if a newspaper that has a long history of party loyalty doesn’t embrace the totality of its favorite candidate’s platform, it will usually stand by its man on general principle and shared philosophy. Just as there are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans and Democrats, so too there are newspapers that are entrenched in their political positions and will stick to their guns even if their party’s candidate has a few flaws.

Until now.

The Arizona Republic, the dominant newspaper in a very red state, has endorsed Clinton over Trump — the first time it has favored a Democrat for president since it began publishing in 1890.

The Dallas Morning News has endorsed Clinton — the first time it has recommended the election of a Democrat to the White House since before World War II.

And the Cincinnati Enquirer has endorsed Clinton — the first time it has not supported a Republican for president in almost a century.

These newspapers have done something that every voter should do: put aside party loyalty, drop the infatuation with Trump because of his predisposition for violence, crudeness, bigotry and lying, and examine who will best represent the United States on the world stage with the most intelligence, experience, presence and oratory skills, while serving all Americans.

Here are excerpts from the Arizona Republic editorial (printed in full on page 5), which notes that a Trump presidency “could have devastating consequences” and be “a recipe for permanent civil discord.”

“The challenges the United States faces domestically and internationally demand a steady hand, a cool head and the ability to think carefully before acting. Hillary Clinton understands this. Donald Trump does not.”

“Clinton knows how to compromise and to lead with intelligence, decorum and perspective. … She has withstood decades of scrutiny so intense it would wither most politicians. … Trump hasn’t even let the American people scrutinize his tax returns, which could help the nation judge his claims of business acumen.”

“She does not casually say things that embolden our adversaries and frighten our allies. Her approach to governance is mature, confident and rational. That cannot be said of her opponent.

“Clinton retains her composure under pressure. She’s tough. She doesn’t back down. Trump responds to criticism with the petulance of verbal spit wads.”

Said The Dallas Morning News: “We’ve been critical of Clinton’s handling of certain issues in the past. But unlike Donald Trump, Clinton has experience in actual governance, a record of service and a willingness to delve into real policy.

“Resume vs. resume, judgment vs. judgment, this election is no contest.”

“Trump’s values are hostile to conservatism. He plays on fear — exploiting base instincts of xenophobia, racism and misogyny — to bring out the worst in all of us, rather than the best. His serial shifts on fundamental issues reveal an astounding absence of preparedness. And his improvisational insults and midnight tweets exhibit a dangerous lack of judgment and impulse control.

“After nearly four decades in the public spotlight, 25 of them on the national stage, Clinton is a known quantity. For all her warts, she is the candidate more likely to keep our nation safe, to protect American ideals and to work across the aisle to uphold the vital domestic institutions that rely on a competent, experienced president. Clinton has spent years in the trenches doing the hard work needed to prepare herself to lead our nation. In this race, at this time, she deserves your vote.”

And excerpts from the Enquirer: “Our country needs calm, thoughtful leadership to deal with the challenges we face at home and abroad. We need a leader who will bring out the best in all Americans, not the worst. That’s why there is only one choice when we elect a president in November: Hillary Clinton.”

“Trump is a clear and present danger to our country. He has no history of governance that should engender any confidence from voters. Trump has no foreign experience, and the fact that he doesn’t recognize it — instead insisting that ‘I know more about ISIS than the generals do’ — is even more troubling. His wild threats to blow Iranian ships out of the water if they make rude gestures at U.S. ships is just the type of reckless, cowboy diplomacy Americans should fear from a Trump presidency.”

The newspaper complained that Trump “has played on many Americans’ fears and prejudices to further himself politically. Trump brands himself as an outsider untainted by special interests, but we see him a man utterly corrupted by self interest. His narcissistic bid for the presidency is more about making himself great than America.”

The Enquirer editorial concludes, “Hillary Clinton has her faults, certainly, but she has spent a lifetime working to improve the lives of Americans both inside and outside of Washington. It’s time to elect the first female U.S. president — not because she’s a woman, but because she’s hands-down the most qualified choice.”

So to our Republican and politically independent readers curious what the Las Vegas Sun, a Democratic-leaning newspaper, has on its mind this day, we instead draw your attention to these three big newspapers — in the West, the South and the Midwest — that promote Republican values but know when there’s a presidential election that transcends party loyalty and demands decisions that are best for the country.