Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential pick
OAKLAND, Calif. — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his running mate Tuesday after months of speculation, picking entrepreneur and attorney Nicole Shanahan as his No. 2.
Introducing Shanahan, 38, at an event in her hometown of Oakland, the 70-year-old Kennedy said he was “looking for a partner who is a young person.”
“I wanted that because I wanted Nicole to be a champion of the growing number of millennial and Gen Z Americans who have lost faith in their future,” he added.
Shanahan has deep ties to the tech industry and was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Her status as running mate is meant to boost Kennedy’s profile and bring in more cash to his campaign as he aims to pull closer in the polls to President Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In her remarks, Shanahan spoke about her history working for California criminal justice reform, growing up with a Chinese immigrant mother, the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, and her dedication to child healthcare after her daughter was diagnosed with autism.
“I believe, very strongly, that focusing on the health and well-being of our youth is the key to a strong America,” she said. “That means honestly looking at the root causes of where childhood development is being sidelined. We have the tools to prioritize American wellness, we just need to use them.”
A graduate of Washington state’s University of Puget Sound and Santa Clara University’s law school, Shanahan founded legal technology company ClearAccessIP and married Brin in 2018. The couple separated in December 2021, with the Wall Street Journal reporting in July 2022 that Shanahan had a brief affair the previous fall with Tesla founder and X boss Elon Musk.
Both Musk and Shanahan have denied the report and her divorce from Brin was finalized in September of last year.
Shanahan has a history of supporting Democratic candidates, contributing to the 2020 primary campaigns of Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg, as well as Biden after he became the presumptive nominee. In the same election cycle, Shanahan gave more than $150,000 to the campaign of soft-on-crime George Gascon to be Los Angeles County District Attorney, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Kennedy and Shanahan, who announced Tuesday she was following him in leaving the Democratic Party, are also aligned in their skepticism of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some attendees at Shanahan’s unveiling told The Post they were hoping Kennedy would pick a running mate with more political experience.
Others said a younger candidate, a Republican, or someone with significant amount of cash flow could do wonders for his campaign.
“Google money and Twitter media,” San Francisco resident Dan Stegink said in summing up what Shanahan would bring to the ticket.
Speculation that Shanahan was Kennedy’s choice circulated for more than a week after Mediaite reported earlier this month she had donated $4 million to a super PAC that aired a Super Bowl ad for the candidate.
Kennedy had publicly said he was considering a handful of better-known names to run with him, including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura — as well as former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe, and 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Zach Chance, 24, travelled from Dallas for the Kennedy event and said he would like to “see Andrew Yang” or someone with more political experience run on the independent ticket.
Michael Leras, another Kennedy supporter, said he had his eye “set on Tulsi” and warned that Kennedy should chose someone with a “younger, fresher outlook” or someone who is more “mainstream” to the 2024 ticket.
“I would love for it to be a woman. I think that’s important, I think we need to round and balance that out. Little bit more feminine and masculine energy,” said supporter Muffi Bailey, adding her backing of Kennedy comes from his “new ideas” and “not tolerating so many abuses with animals and people’s health.”
Kennedy is the first Biden challenger to announce his running mate.
The early selection was motivated by his goal of getting ballot access in some states that require a veep choice to be made upon submission of signatures, his campaign previously indicated to The Post.
Kennedy’s campaign is facing an uphill battle getting on the ballot in all 50 states due to his independent status.
So far, his team has said he’s only gained access in Nevada, Utah, New Hampshire and Hawaii, but has efforts under way in dozens of other states and is intending to spend $15 million on ballot access alone.
Despite his struggle to get on the ballot, polls indicate Kennedy may draw backing from voters disillusioned with a Trump-Biden rematch.
On average, Kennedy is polling at 9.9% in a five-way race between Trump, Biden, fellow independent Cornel West and Green Party standard-bearer Jill Stein, according to data complied by RealClearPolitics.
RFK Jr. has said he aims to take votes away from both Trump and Biden, and said Tuesday that he is a “spoiler” for both rivals.
Ballot access will be key for Kennedy to get more traction in media and potentially earn him a spot on the general election debate stage against Biden and Trump.
“I think with the ballot access and attention, that’s going to come with the votes to meet that 15% bar to get him on the stage if the debates actually happen,” Chance said. “At that point, I think he’s very well-spoken and in a situation where the two other candidates aren’t super well-spoken in their respective ways, that gives him a lot of room to shine.”
Other supporters said they worried about the Biden administration refusing to give Kennedy Secret Service protection — something he has asked the government for repeatedly during his campaign.
RFK Jr. has spent a significant amount of his campaign finances to fund a private security detail, Federal Election Commission reports reveal.
