RFK Jr. sets VP announcement date as Aaron Rodgers, Jesse Ventura speculation swirls
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will announce his choice of running mate on March 26 in Oakland, Calif., his campaign revealed Wednesday.
The heads-up comes one day after the 70-year-old told the New York Times that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura were “at the top of his list” to be his No. 2.
Other prominent figures approached as VP possibilities include former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and 2020 presidential candidate and 2021 New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang — all of whom apparently declined, according to The Times.
However, Rodgers and Ventura have “welcomed” the former Democrat’s entreaties, per the outlet, with a campaign rep confirming to The Post late Tuesday they were among those on a “short list” of potential running mates.
Rodgers was an early supporter of Kennedy, posting a “kennedy2024” hashtag on social media as early as April 2023, and the two men were pictured hiking together last month.
The NFL star has been a vocal critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, an issue that is a pillar of Kennedy’s campaign.
Ventura introduced Kennedy at an event in Arizona last month and has a similar third-party background, winning the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election as a member of the Reform Party — the only Reform candidate to achieve high office.
Kennedy — who initially ran as a Democrat against President Biden before announcing an independent bid — has been polling as the top third party candidate in the field, consistently cracking double-digits behind Biden and former President Donald Trump.
A HarrisX poll released Monday showed Kennedy polling at 12% in a hypothetical matchup with Trump (41%), Biden (35%) and two other minor candidates. Independent Cornel West and the Green Party’s Jill Stein both got 1% each.
RealClearPolitics polling average data shows Kennedy at 12.4% in the same five-way race, with Trump at 41.1%, Biden at 38.4%, West at 2.4% and Stein at 1.8%.
The longshot presidential candidate is facing an uphill battle to get on the ballot in every state as an independent, with the campaign saying it will cost them $15 million.
Kennedy’s campaign has claimed he has only qualified for ballot access in four states — Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire and Utah, but has efforts ongoing in other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina.
Spokesperson Stefanie Spear told The Post in November that Kennedy would have to come to a VP decision “sooner than later,” since some states mandate candidates chose their running mate before registering for the ballot.
