The Los Angeles Times, Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ hometown paper, has refused to issue a presidential endorsement for the 2024 election.
Kamala’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad October just got much worse.
Because when you can’t win over the LA Times for an endorsement, that may be problematic.
No Teamsters, no Firefighters Union, no LA Times. But she has Mark Cuban and Liz Cheney, so there’s that… pic.twitter.com/3vaGDqvSue
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 22, 2024
This shocking decision comes as the Los Angeles Times has a history of endorsing Democrats, including President Joe Biden, twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama in both 2012 and 2008. The paper even endorsed Harris in her previous campaigns for the Senate and California Attorney General.
WOW
The LA Times just refused to endorse Kamala for President
For context: LA Times endorsed Kamala for
Attorney General in 2014
Senate in 2016
Biden-Harris in 2020 pic.twitter.com/6XKmGr33T5— John Hasson (@SonofHas) October 22, 2024
The paper even published fawning op-ed pieces about Harris after the Biden-Harris administration took office in January 2021.
Despite all of their past support for Harris and other Democrats, they have decided to undercut her presidential campaign. According to a Tuesday report from far-left outlet Semafor’s Max Tani, the decision not to endorse a presidential candidate came directly from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shion, the owner of the Los Angeles Times.
Tani explained in the article that, “according to two people familiar with the situation, executive editor Terry Tang told editorial board staff earlier this month that the paper would not be endorsing a candidate in the presidential election this cycle, a decision that came from the paper’s owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a doctor who made his fortune in the healthcare industry.”
The Semafor reporter went on to state that the Los Angeles Times has not publicly explained its decision, but did include a note at the bottom of its online endorsement page that read: “the editorial board endorses selectively, choosing the most consequential races in which to make recommendations.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time since he bought the paper in 2018 that owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong had overruled the wishes of the paper’s editorial board,” Tani continued. “In 2020, the paper met with Democratic candidates for president for interviews with the intention of making a pick in the race. But after deciding to endorse Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic, at the last minute Soon-Shiong overruled its leadership and said there would be no endorsement in the primary race (the paper endorsed Joe Biden in the general election).”
The Los Angeles Times previously ceased issuing endorsements after former President Richard Nixon (R) won reelection in 1972 and subsequently resigned in the aftermath of Watergate. The paper supported Nixon throughout his career, including in the House, Senate, and as a presidential candidate. The Los Angeles Times stopped endorsing candidates after Nixon and did not resume the practice again until 30 years later when it endorsed Obama in 2008.
