With varying degrees of enthusiasm, The Daily News, The New York Post and the editorial board of The New York Times all threw their support instead to Mr. Spitzer’s opponent in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary: Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president.

The newspapers denounced Mr. Spitzer, a former governor, for being “a cheat and liar” (The News) about the prostitution scandal that led to his resignation; for turning in a “dismal performance” as governor (The Times’s editorial board); and for being interested only in “feeding his insatiable ego” (The Post). The News, on Sunday, and The Post, on Saturday, even devoted cover photos to illustrating their disdain.

The endorsements could be a boost to Mr. Stringer, who, despite wide labor and official support, trails Mr. Spitzer by as much as 19 points in recent polls.

In an editorial, The Post praised Mr. Stringer as a “sober, honest man.” The News called him a “steady, serious, well-prepared public official with an unblemished record of accomplishment.” And The Times’s editorial board lauded Mr. Stringer for doing an “outstanding job” as borough president, and for improving “the scope, effectiveness and reputation” of a “sometimes marginal office.”

But most of their focus was on criticizing Mr. Spitzer. The News, for instance, printed excerpts from a tense interview he had with its editorial board recently about his prostitution scandal. The Post said, “We would not trust Eliot Spitzer to manage our 401(k), much less take our teenage daughter to the movies, so why should the city trust him with its entire pension fund?”

The endorsements were not a surprise. In fact, Mr. Spitzer has come to embrace such barbs as part of his campaign narrative of being an independent fighter. Lis Smith, a campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement: “Eliot’s spent his entire career taking on powerful interests on behalf of working New Yorkers. So it’s not surprising that the establishment is lining up against him and propping up a candidate who has spent his entire career proving he wouldn’t challenge them.”

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/nyregion/citys-newspapers-endorse-stringer-over-spitzer.html?partner=rss&emc=rss