Washington Post And Los Angeles Times Withhold Endorsements As Harris-Trump Race Tightens

As the presidential election approaches, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times have taken an unprecedented step by refraining from endorsing either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. Breaking from tradition, these influential newspapers have chosen neutrality, highlighting the growing uncertainty in a race that recent polls show as almost too close to call.

Deadlocked Polls Show No Clear Advantage

On Friday, new polls from *The New York Times* and *CNN* confirmed the razor-thin margin between the candidates, with Harris and Trump polling at 48% and 47% respectively. This marks a noticeable shift from earlier in the month when Harris held a 3% lead. *The Times* expressed concern over the stagnant numbers for Harris, especially with millions of early votes already cast, stating, “The result, coming less than two weeks before Election Day, is not encouraging for Ms. Harris.”

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Adding to this, RealClearPolitics, an aggregator of major polls, reported that Harris’s lead had narrowed to just 0.2%—a drastic drop from 2% at the beginning of October. The Times’ editorial section, which has historically leaned toward Harris, even published a column by political statistician Nate Silver, who wrote that his “gut” predicted a Trump victory. “In an election where the seven battleground states are all polling within a percentage point or two, 50-50 is the only responsible forecast,” Silver noted.

Campaign Efforts Struggle to Move the Needle

Despite intense campaigning, neither Harris nor Trump has achieved a decisive lead. Harris has tried to sway voters by questioning Trump’s age, his fitness for office, and his perceived threat to democracy, but the polling suggests limited impact. Her policy shifts, such as her stance on national abortion rights and a move toward centrist positions, have also yet to attract new support. Even endorsements from celebrities like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Leonardo DiCaprio have not created significant momentum.

Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to paint Harris as a “Communist” and link her to President Joe Biden’s perceived failures on inflation and illegal immigration. However, these attacks have similarly struggled to shift public opinion.

Internal Conflict Over Withholding Endorsements

Both *The Washington Post* and *The Los Angeles Times*, owned by prominent billionaires, have faced internal challenges over their decision to avoid endorsements. *The Washington Post’s* publisher Will Lewis explained that their decision was “not a tacit endorsement or condemnation,” but rather an opportunity to support readers’ ability to make independent choices. However, the *Post’s* union countered that owner Jeff Bezos had intervened to prevent a Harris endorsement, claiming an endorsement draft was already prepared.

In Los Angeles, *Times* owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech and media entrepreneur, similarly held back on endorsing, suggesting instead that the editorial board publish a side-by-side analysis of the candidates’ positions. Soon-Shiong’s decision has faced criticism from the newspaper’s union, which argued that the blame for a lack of endorsement was unfairly placed on the editorial staff.

Conflict of Interest Concerns Over Newspaper Ownership

Sewell Chan, Executive Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, noted that privately held newspapers with billionaire owners may hesitate to make endorsements if they fear business implications, particularly under a second Trump term. As a result, many analysts suggest the lack of endorsements could signal that Trump might be gaining late-stage momentum. This neutrality from *The Washington Post* and *Los Angeles Times* adds another layer of intrigue as both campaigns head into the final stretch before Election Day.