Vice President Kamala Harris has faced a setback from a prominent newspaper in California, as reports indicate that The Los Angeles Times editorial board was prevented from endorsing her by owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.
According to a Tuesday report from Semafor, Executive Editor Terry Tang informed the board earlier this month that they were not permitted to make a presidential endorsement, citing “two people familiar with the situation.” Soon-Shiong, a South African American medical professional and billionaire who has owned the paper since 2018, is said to have made this decision.
Since 2008, The Los Angeles Times has endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election, having refrained from such endorsements for several decades prior. The editorial board was reportedly “preparing” to support Harris when the blocking decision occurred.
Previously, Soon-Shiong had also stopped the board from supporting Senator Elizabeth Warren during the 2020 Democratic primaries. However, the publication eventually endorsed President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump in the general election that year.
Newsweek contacted Tang and Soon-Shiong via email for comments on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times chose not to comment to Semafor regarding the blocked endorsement, with a spokesperson stating they “do not comment on internal discussions or decisions about editorials or endorsements.”
Harris was notably missing from a recent list of endorsements published by the paper. The paper did endorse progressive stances on ballot measures and Democratic candidates, including Congressman Adam Schiff’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Additionally, the endorsement article implied that the presidential race is “the most consequential election in a generation,” although it did not specify which candidate the board favored.
In a separate opinion piece, Letter Editor Paul Thornton mentioned Harris by noting that the “office-seekers and ballot measures” considered did not “just fall out of a coconut tree.”
According to STAT News, Soon-Shiong sought to obtain a “senior role” in the Trump administration in early 2017, reportedly meeting with Trump multiple times to discuss potential positions, though nothing came to fruition.
While many newspapers choose not to make presidential endorsements, most that do have favored Harris over Trump this year. However, the vice president has lost some notable endorsements that had previously gone to President Joe Biden during the 2020 election.
For instance, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which had supported Biden, opted not to endorse any presidential candidate in September. Similarly, the International Association of Fire Fighters took a like stance earlier this month despite having endorsed Biden in 2020.
