Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio Saturday received the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, Iowa's biggest newspaper, just eight days ahead of the state's caucuses.

In endorsing Clinton in the Democratic primary, the paper's editorial board writes, "in the final analysis, Iowa Democrats will have to choose between the lofty idealism of Bernie Sanders and the down-to-earth pragmatism of Hillary Clinton. ... Clinton has demonstrated that she is a thoughtful, hardworking public servant who has earned the respect of leaders at home and abroad."

Picking Rubio on the Republican side, the editorial board writes that the GOP has "the opportunity to define their party’s future in this election. They could choose anger, pessimism and fear. Or they could take a different path," adding, "we endorse him because he represents his party’s best hope."