After Years of Boycotting the Ballot Box, Colin Kaepernick Admits He Voted for Biden and Harris and Points to a New Political Hero
Nuanced perspectives.
It’s quite the shift to witness, but Colin Kaepernick has officially changed his stance on participating in the electoral process. Fox News reports that after years of famously boycotting the ballot box, the former NFL quarterback is now openly discussing his participation in recent presidential elections.
In his brand-new memoir, titled The Perilous Fight, Kaepernick reflects on his past decisions. He reveals that he cast his vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in both the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. This is a massive pivot from where he stood back in November 2016. In that same year he began taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
At that time, he was incredibly vocal about his refusal to vote in the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. He famously told reporters then, “You know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote. I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I’m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn’t going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”
Kaepernick has always been vocal about his beliefs
At that stage of his activism, Kaepernick didn’t hold back on his disdain for either candidate. He described Donald Trump as “openly racist” and took aim at Hillary Clinton for her use of the term “super predators” while defending the 1994 crime bill that her husband, President Bill Clinton, had signed into law. He even went as far as labeling both candidates as “proven liars.”
Fast forward to today, and his perspective has clearly evolved. In his new book, he admits that his earlier decision to stay away from the polls was “irresponsible.” It’s interesting to see him process the long-term consequences of that choice.
During an extensive interview with NBC News, he explained, “The realization coming out of the 2016 election is how significant the implications can be of not voting, even if you don’t fully think this candidate represents you, and I’ve seen that. We’ve seen it with the Supreme Court. We’ve seen it with federal judges.”
He seems to be looking at his past strategy with a lot more nuance now. He noted, “Part of trying to seek the best way for us to move forward and have impact is also realizing the moments where the intention of the perspective was right, but the strategy behind it actually wasn’t.” It’s the kind of reflection that shows he’s really weighing the practical impacts of political engagement versus the symbolic power of protest.
Kaepernick is also pointing toward a new political figure
He’s currently giving a lot of credit to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who he believes is actually getting things done. It’s clear that Kaepernick views the 34-year-old socialist as a leader who is effectively “moving the needle.” According to NBC, he was quite complimentary of the Mayor’s approach to governance.
“When we talk about leaders that are moving the needle right now, I think we’re seeing real impact coming out of Mamdani,” Kaepernick said. He finds it refreshing to see a politician who is so focused on tangible results. “It is very refreshing for a lot of people to see someone in a political role saying, ‘I am prioritizing the people’s needs. I’m going to hold people accountable to that, and we are just going to execute and deliver on this over and over again.’”
Mamdani took office in November 2025. He ran on a platform that was pretty ambitious, promising things like expanding universal childcare, freezing rent in rent-stabilized apartments, and even opening city-run grocery stores. It seems like his style of leadership is exactly what Kaepernick thinks will bring more people back into the political fold.
He believes there’s a disconnect between the people and the politicians
Kaepernick believes that the disconnect many people feel – that sense that no politician represents them – comes down to a lack of visible, effective action. He thinks that as more leaders move in the way Mamdani does, the public will start to feel more excited and involved.
“Ultimately, I think a lot of those people who are out there say, ‘Hey, this doesn’t represent me, I’m not voting, or I don’t feel great about the politicians out there,’ it’s because they aren’t seeing people move in that way. The more that we see that come, we’ll see more and more people involved and excited about what is happening in the political sphere,” Kaepernick explained.
It’s definitely an interesting time for his political journey. Whether people agree with his past boycott or his current support for the Democratic ticket and local leaders like Mamdani, it’s clear that his approach to activism has matured and shifted significantly over the last decade.
It’s a major departure from the man who once felt that voting was entirely incompatible with his fight against systemic oppression. Now, he’s clearly decided that engagement is a necessary component of the broader struggle for change.
(Featured image: TechCrunch)
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