San Francisco Chronicle

The Chronicle editorial board endorsed the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, and its 2026 ballot endorsements back affordable-housing and Muni funding and oppose Prop. 39, saying voter fraud is not a problem in California.

Editorial record means the rating rests on the outlet's documented record, such as its editorial board's endorsements, the stated purpose it was founded for, its opinion lineup or its published commitments such as an ethics policy. Scope: Institutional editorial board · US politics. Confidence: high. What these mean

Evidence

• The Chronicle editorial board's 2020 recommendation of Joe Biden for president.
• The Chronicle editorial board's 2016 recommendation of Hillary Clinton for president.
• Chronicle editorials page, 2026 election: endorsements by the Chronicle Editorial Board, including yes on affordable-housing Props 1 and C and Muni's Prop H, and no on Prop 39.
• American Presidency Project 2008 table: the Chronicle endorsed Barack Obama.
• American Presidency Project 2012 table: the Chronicle endorsed Barack Obama.

Limits of this rating

• Covers the editorial board only; the newsroom is run separately and is not covered by this rating.
• A record-based rating describes the board's politics, not its accuracy or every editorial.

First draft by Sol, our AI editor, on Nov 3, 2026. Rewritten and checked against the evidence pages by Claude, an AI system, which can change the draft's label. Accepted by our human editor on Nov 3, 2026, as part of a batch.

This rating covers only the part of the outlet named in its scope, not the rest of its work. It never rates a single article; articles get their own "This article" rating.