LA Times declines to endorse Kamala Harris after backing Dems since 2008

According to a report from Semafor, the owner of the LA Times has blocked the outlet from endorsing a candidate this year. The LA Times editorial board published its endorsements for the 2024 election cycle last week, however, an endorsement for president was not a part of it.

The editorial board was reportedly preparing to endorse a Democrat for the presidency this time around for the election as well, however, the executive editor for the paper informed staff that the paper would not do so for 2024, according to Semafor. The owner of the LA Times is Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who gained his wealth in the healthcare industry.

The LA Times' endorsements page did not explain the reason behind not endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, which would have been the likely outcome had the outlet come out to endorse a candidate. “The editorial board endorses selectively, choosing the most consequential races in which to make recommendations," the editorial board wrote at the time.

"We do not comment on internal discussions or decisions about editorials or endorsements," a spokesman for the LA Times told Semafor when the outlet reached out for comment. Soon-Shiong has overruled decisions from the editorial board before, shooting down an effort to endorse Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 primacy as an example given by Semafor. The paper later endorsed Joe Biden in the general election.

The LA Times declined to endorse presidential candidates between the mid-1970s until 2008, when the outlet endorsed Barack Obama. The outlet has endorsed Democrats for the presidency since then. Prior to the 1970s, the outlet reliably endorsed Republicans since the founding of the paper in 1881.