The Houston Chronicle is endorsing Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate over incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz, the paper's editorial board announced Friday.

Why it matters: Newspaper endorsements aren't necessarily symbolic of what is to come on election day, but the Chronicle endorsing O'Rourke is a sharp turn away from the paper traditionally endorsing Republican candidates. It endorsed Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in 2012 and both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush during their presidential campaigns.