Newspaper: McCain is 'the man to lead America;' Will voters agree?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If Sen. John McCain is going to keep his candidacy for the White House alive, he has to win the New Hampshire primary on January 8.

Right now, he's running second in one poll, fourth in another.

But what's this? On Sunday, the New Hampshire Union Leader, which has a lot of influence with conservatives, endorsed McCain, saying "John McCain is the man to lead America."

"What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination," the newspaper said. "Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water."

On Monday, Union Leader publisher Joseph McQuaid said it decided to back McCain because he was the most conservative candidate running in that race.

The newspaper announced the highly coveted endorsement in a front-page story Sunday.

Does the Union Leader's endorsement have an impact? Sometimes.

The newspaper has endorsed six Republican candidates in the past 30 years.

Twice, the endorsed candidate won.

The Union Leader endorsed Ronald Reagan over George Bush in 1980. Reagan won.

In 1996, the Union Leader endorsed Pat Buchanan over Bob Dole. Buchanan won. Big upset.

Twice the paper endorsed candidates who lost but did much better than expected.

The Union Leader endorsed Reagan over President Gerald Ford in 1976. Reagan came within a point of beating Ford.

The Union Leader endorsed Pat Buchanan over the first President Bush in 1992. Buchanan did surprisingly well.

Twice the paper's endorsement had no discernible impact.

In 1988, the Union Leader endorsed Pete DuPont. He came in fourth.

In 2000, the Union Leader endorsed Steve Forbes. He came in third.

Since 2000, McCain has gone some distance to ingratiate himself with conservatives. And the Union Leader seems to have found some virtue in the McCain it failed to endorse in 2000.

"He has the proven ability, unique among the contenders, to work across the political divide," the paper said.

The conservative newspaper and the once-maverick candidate appear to have met somewhere in the middle.

"I think that if you believe in America, anything is possible," McCain said.

McCain said he hopes the endorsement will lead voters to take another look. That seems to be exactly what's happening in both parties.

One month before the vote, the leading candidates are having trouble closing the sale. E-mail to a friend

All About John McCain • New Hampshire Union Leader