“It was a little surprising to read that editorial, because it didn’t seem to be based at all in reality — not just in the president’s record, but in Mitt Romney’s record,” Stephanie Cutter said. “It says that he’d reach across the aisle, which he’d do the exact opposite. It’s the exact opposite of what he did in Massachusetts.”

The Des Moines Register‘s endorsement of Mitt Romney was seen as a surprise. In the endorsement, published late Saturday, the paper noted that voters should select Romney to correct the nations’ fiscal course.

The Des Moines Register had endorsed a Democrat every year since 1972, backing President Obama in 2008. The paper carries considerably sway as the largest newspaper in a major swing state, the Washington Post noted.

The newspaper’s editorial board wrote: “Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years.”

Stephanie Cutter pointed out that Obama has been endorsed by a number of other major newspapers in swing states, including the Miami Herald, Toledo Blade, and Youngstown Vindicator.