Ten Washington Post editorial columnists signed a letter condemning owner Jeff Bezos’ decision on Friday to forgo the usual presidential endorsement and pull the one that had been written to back Kamala Harris, calling it a “terrible mistake.”
Their statement read: “The Washington Post’s decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake. It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love, and for which we have worked a combined 235 years. This is a moment for the institution to be making clear its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and international alliances, and the threat that Donald Trump poses to them — the precise points The Post made in endorsing Trump’s opponents in 2016 and 2020.”
“There is no contradiction between The Post’s important role as an independent newspaper and its practice of making political endorsements, both as a matter of guidance to readers and as a statement of core beliefs. That has never been more true than in the current campaign,” the group continued. “An independent newspaper might someday choose to back away from making presidential endorsements. But this isn’t the right moment, when one candidate is advocating positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution.”
The letter was signed by Perry Bacon Jr., E.J. Dionne Jr., David Ignatius, Heather Long, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Catherine Rampell, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin and Karen Tumulty.
Editor at large Robert Kagan already submitted his resignation from the paper, according to Semafor media writer Max Tani.
The Washington Post Guild also shared a statement to X on Friday that they were “deeply concerned” about the non-endorsement.
“We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post — an American news institution in the nation’s capital — would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election,” the guild wrote. “The role of an editorial board is to do just this: to share opinions on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers.”
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