The Los Angeles Times, which is California’s largest newspaper, reportedly will not make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race — a blow to Vice President Kamala Harris as the outlet has backed a Democrat in every White House race since 2008.
Sources told Semafor that executive editor Terry Tang informed editorial board staff earlier this month the Los Angeles Times would not pick a favorite presidential candidate. The report noted the decision came from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who bought the newspaper in 2018.
A Los Angeles Times spokesperson did not deny the report, saying, “We do not comment on internal discussions or decisions about editorials or endorsements.”
The news comes exactly two weeks before Election Day in which Harris is facing former President Donald Trump in the White House race. Although national polls on average show Harris with a slight edge, betting markets and polls indicate Trump is gaining momentum and leading in key battleground states.
Harris has received support from the Los Angeles Times in prior contests, including her 2010 and 2014 runs for California attorney general and her 2016 U.S. Senate campaign. The newspaper also endorsed Harris as the running mate to now-President Joe Biden in their successful 2020 campaign against Trump.
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During primary season, Biden locked in the Democratic Party’s 2024 nomination with the support of more than 14 million primary voters. However, Biden dropped out amid pressure from allies following a shaky debate performance in late June, and Harris took his place atop the ticket.
A couple of labor unions that endorsed Biden for president in 2020 refused to do the same for Harris this year, instead opting not to back any candidate. One of them, the Teamsters, chose to sit out this year’s contest even though internal polling data found Trump got more support from its members than Harris.
Social media was abuzz with reactions after the report on Tuesday stating the Los Angeles Times would not be making an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race.
“This is actually kind of surprising,” filmmaker and activist Robby Starbuck said on X. “I don’t think newspaper endorsements matter anymore from major papers (local papers still matter) but LATimes is one of the furthest left papers in the country yet they’re not going to endorse Kamala. A very interesting development…”
