2024 Endorsements: How we make our picks

As misinformation and disinformation continue to corrode our public discourse, Newsday's editorial board seeks to provide Long Islanders with essential information, context and commentary about the 2024 election.

Every election season, Newsday's editorial board makes recommendations on ballot proposals that affect your quality of life and endorses those candidates we think would be the best public servants to lead or legislate. We seek, through a respectful and fact-based methodology, to support those who can best represent Long Island’s interests. We have undertaken this effort throughout the 84 years of Newsday's existence in the spirit of starting conversations, not ending them.

How does the editorial board vet candidates and make decisions on whom to endorse?

Newsday maintains a strict divide between its news and opinion journalism operations. The editorial board makes its choices after interviewing the candidates, analyzing their views, and conducting its own research and reporting. Political ideology is not a major factor in our consideration, although we favor moderate views over extreme ones. Endorsement decisions are not based on a candidate’s party affiliation.

Not including the presidential race, by the end of this year's endorsement process, we will have interviewed candidates for all 36 state and federal contests on the Nov. 5 ballot. Starting after Labor Day, meetings have been held or scheduled with major-party candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the New York State Legislature — all of the 64 candidates who are actively running this year.

Candidates’ responses to our questions help guide our decisions but do not determine them. We also consider the candidates’ command of the issues, how effective they are likely to be in office, and whether they are committed to finding bipartisan solutions for the region, state and nation.

For incumbents, we assess what they have accomplished in office and whether they have followed through on past promises made to voters. For challengers, we look at whatever experience and skills they would bring to the office.

These interview sessions are especially valuable to the board in helping us identify what issues voters are prioritizing and how we can best use our resources to focus on addressing these particular issues.

To read more about how the editorial board works, click here.

Endorsements are determined solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.