The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times will not endorse anyone in the presidential election after a 20-year run of endorsing Democrats.
The editorial board listed other endorsements and said it was “no exaggeration to say this may be the most consequential election in a generation” but then ignored the presidential election.
The LA Times had endorsed Harris when she ran for California attorney general in 2014 and in 2016 when she ran for the US Senate.
While some on social media saw this as a sign of former President Donald Trump’s popularity, a report by Max Tani of Semafor claimed it was forced on the editorial board by the paper’s billionaire owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
A spokesperson for the Times refused to comment on the story.
“We do not comment on internal discussions or decisions about editorials or endorsements,” read the spokesperson’s statement.
Semafor reported that Soon-Shiong, who became wealthy in the health care industry, also overrode the paper’s leaders when they were going to endorse U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts during the Democratic primary presidential campaign in 2020. The paper endorsed no one in the primary but endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden in the general election.
The L.A. Times had endorsed Harris when she ran for California attorney general in 2014 and in 2016 when she ran for the U.S. Senate.
Some on the left posted images of their subscriptions being canceled over the decision.
“Of all the elections to sit out. The Los Angeles Times decision to not endorse for president this year made my decision to cancel my subscription extremely easy. They’ve coward [sic] in fear over Trump’s ‘Enemies will be punished’ threats. Gross, weak and pathetic,” responded lawyer Sean Nyberg.
Prior to 2008, the paper had refused to endorse any presidential candidate over interior disagreements about the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. Prior to that, the paper had endorsed Republicans for nearly a century since its 1881 founding.
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La times non endorsement, La times billionaire owner, Patrick soon shiong, Harris not endorsed, Politics
