The Sun Sentinel Won't Endorse a Presidential Candidate in 2024. Why?

The South Florida Sun Sentinel has joined other major newspapers across the nation in not endorsing a candidate for president this year.

As the paper explained in an editorial previously posted by the newspaper's editorial board, the Sun Sentinel stopped endorsing candidates for president, U.S. Senate, and gubernatorial races in 2022 under a "company-wide decision" — roughly a year after the paper was acquired by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund.

"We'll continue our work of endorsing many candidates for local, regional and state office, judgeships, Congress, ballot questions and constitutional amendments," states the editorial, published on October 7, 2022 — a so-called off-year election that did not include a presidential race. "We'll celebrate fact and expose fiction. And to quote Tom Petty, we won't back down. Nor are we expected to."

The paper noted that the restriction aligns with "corporate-level dictates in other media companies, some of which have eliminated endorsements entirely."

"It's well within the long-standing tradition of American editorial pages, which leaves the final say on endorsements to newspapers' ownership," the 2022 editorial states.

The Sun Sentinel, which appears to have shared its (Democratic) endorsements for president in each general election since 2008, joins other U.S. papers in opting not to endorse a presidential candidate this year.

For instance, Los Angeles Times executive editor Terry Tang reportedly told editorial board staff earlier this month that the California paper wouldn't be endorsing a candidate in the 2024 presidential election for the first time since 2008 — a decision handed down by its owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

In August, the Minnesota Star Tribune announced that it wouldn't make political endorsements for the 2024 election, ending its long-standing practice of doing so.

And on October 25, the Washington Post announced to its staff that it would not be making a presidential endorsement this year for the first time since 1988.

It remains to be seen whether South Florida's other main newspaper, the Miami Herald, will endorse a candidate for president this year.

While the paper has been releasing endorsements for Congress, ballot amendments, and local offices in piecemeal fashion this month, it has yet to do so for the 2024 presidential race.

After endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016, the Herald reportedly did not endorse a presidential candidate in 2020. The paper's parent company, McClatchy, directed its 30 newspapers to issue an endorsement for president only in instances in which the editorial board interviewed the candidates.

Miami Herald executive editor Alex Mena did not immediately respond to New Times' request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for McClatchy.