Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has revealed that he did not vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, saying he couldn’t bring himself to support the Democratic nominee over the war in Gaza and his broader objections to the US electoral system.
Morello discussed his decision during a new interview with Rolling Stone, where he was asked whether people on the left should have supported Harris against Donald Trump. The longtime political activist pushed back on the idea that voters who couldn’t stomach casting a ballot for Harris were to blame for the election’s outcome, instead directing his criticism toward the Democratic Party. Drawing on his own experience working as a scheduling secretary for former US Senator Alan Cranston, Morello said he had seen firsthand how establishment Democratic politics operate and described a legitimate “righteous fury” toward what he called a “corporate-controlled, money-controlled electoral system.”
When asked directly whether he voted for Harris, Morello replied, “I certainly did not.” Pressed again, he added, “Did not. I couldn’t do it.” He acknowledged that the state where he lives was unlikely to have been decided by his individual presidential vote, but said his conscience prevented him from backing Harris. The interview does not establish whether Morello voted for another presidential candidate or left the race blank.
That stance doesn’t mean Morello has rejected electoral politics altogether. Earlier in the conversation, he stressed the importance of voting while clarifying that casting a ballot is only one part of creating political change and quoted his late mother, who said, “You’ve got to fight the fascists every which way you can.” He also rejected the idea that people who didn’t support Harris should shoulder the blame for Trump’s return to office, saying that responsibility should be directed toward the Democratic Party.
Morello’s position differs from his frequent collaborator Bruce Springsteen, who backed Harris during the 2024 election. Asked about the disagreement, Morello said he believes both men are following their own political convictions and that they respect one another’s viewpoints. Just this weekend, Morello and Springsteen closed out the inaugural Power to the People Festival together, teaming up for performances of The Clash’s “Clampdown” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
Tom Morello (@tmorello) says he didn't vote for Kamala Harris in 2024.
"I saw how the corporate Democrat sausage is made. It is worse than you think. And there is a righteous fury at the corporate-controlled, money-controlled electoral system we have that is absolutely… pic.twitter.com/lLQ9JGqqcS
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 3, 2026
