Patch's Poll: Do Newspaper Political Endorsements Matter?

In these waning days of the election of 2012 there's a time-honored tradition underway right now among newspapers that has gone on for decades, even centuries: The endorsement of candidates.

Today the Hartford Courant endorsed Democrat Elizabeth Esty for the Fifth Congressional District over Republican Andrew Roraback. Yesterday the newspaper endorsed incumbent Second District Democrat Joseph Courtney over Republican challenger Paul Formica, East Lyme's first selectman.

In Connecticut's bitter U.S. Senate battle The Connecticut Post today endorsed Democrat Chris Murphy over Republican Linda McMahon.

While the candidates may crow over such political endorsements, do they hold any weight with voters? In a recent story, NPR cast doubt on that idea and questioned whether newspapers have any clout to sway voters with such endorsements.

How about you? Do newspaper editorial endorsements in political campaigns matter at all to you?