The Los Angeles Times will not endorse Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in their quests to become the next President of the United States.
“It’s no exaggeration to say this may be the most consequential election in a generation. And we’re not just talking about the presidential race. From the top of the ticket to local ballot measures, California voters this year are grappling with major decisions that will shape their lives and communities for years to come,” the publication’s editorial board wrote, but there is no mention of the presidential election.
Further reporting from Ross A. Lincoln of The Wrap suggests the publication planned to endorse Kamala Harris and launch a series called The Case Against Trump, but it was pulled by the publication’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Soon-Shiong defended the decision, claiming it “would be less divisive in a tumultuous election year.”
“I have no regrets whatsoever. In fact, I think it was exactly the right decision,” he told the Los Angeles times.
“The process was [to decide]: how do we actually best inform our readers? And there could be nobody better than us who try to sift the facts from fiction” while leaving it to readers to make their own final decision.”
Since Soon-Shiong reportedly quashed the publication’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, multiple staffers have resigned, including Mariel Garza, Robert Greene and Karin Klein.
“I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent,” Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review.
“In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.”
The Los Angeles Times joins the Washington Post as the latest major newspaper to not offer an endorsement in the upcoming election.