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Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in 2024 presidential election, breaking decades of tradition

  • CNN
  • October 25, 2024
New York

CNN

 — 

For the first time in decades, The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate, the newspaper's publisher announced Friday.

"The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election," Will Lewis said in a statement Friday. "We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates."

The Post has endorsed a presidential candidate in every election since the 1980s. In his statement, Lewis referred to the Editorial Board's past decisions to not endorse, noting that it is a right "we are going back to."

"We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable," Lewis continued. "We don't see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects."

The decision comes just days after The Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the newspaper's planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, leading to resignations from three editorial board members.