TRENTON -- They're not saying you should vote for Hillary -- they're just saying, don't vote for Trump.

In a first for the 34-year-old national newspaper USA TODAY, its editorial board has taken a stance on the presidential race.

Writing what it described as a "unanimous" decision by its members, the board said that "the choice isn't between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences."

Instead, it argued that Trump is simply "unfit for the presidency." The editors cited 124 shifts by Trump on 20 major issues since shortly before he entered the race, terming him "erratic."

They pointed to 60 lawsuits against small businesses and contract employees who said they were stiffed by Trump. And they termed him a "serial liar" who has repeatedly misrepresented his original support for the Iraq War, and uses "the Big Lie technique of repeating it so often that people begin to believe it."

However, the editorial board stopped short of endorsing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president, citing what it termed her "sense of entitlement, her lack of candor and her extreme carelessness in handling classified information."

Instead, it offered this advice:

"Stay true to your convictions. That might mean a vote for Clinton, the most plausible alternative to keep Trump out of the White House. Or it might mean a third-party candidate. Or a write-in. Or a focus on down-ballot candidates who will serve the nation honestly, try to heal its divisions, and work to solve its problems."

USA Today reaches approximately 7 million readers daily, making it the most-widely circulated newspaper in the nation along with the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.