WASHINGTON 

The Washington Post on Friday said will not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, departing from a long-standing tradition.

"The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election,” publisher Will Lewis said in a statement.

"We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates."

"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 said.

But, he added, "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."

With voting just 10 days away in the Nov. 5 contest, presidential contenders Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are locked in a dead heat, according to latest polls.

The newspaper also said that editorial page staffers had drafted an endorsement of Harris over Trump, but the “decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.”