After much speculation, including that he would pick NFL player Aaron Rodgers as his running mate, third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is instead expected to announce Nicole Shanahan, a progressive activist, as his running mate. Perhaps most telling in that regard is how she contributed to the far-left, George Soros-funded Los Angeles DA George Gascón.
Even more relevant to Kennedy's presidential campaign, however, are some details highlighted by POLITICO in their list of "55 Things You Need to Know About Nicole Shanahan." Shanahan donated $6,600 to Kennedy's presidential campaign in May 2023--the maximum amount allowed--when he was still running as a Democrat.
Another detail POLITICO really emphasized was Shanahan's role in a Super Bowl ad from last month that reminded viewers of Kennedy's uncle, John F. Kennedy. RFK Jr. was not involved in the ad and even apologized to those whose feelings were hurt by it. As the list mentioned in both its intro and further down:
Like so many others who have amassed a fortune from the tech sector, Shanahan has become a philanthropic force but also a political player. She was the leading donor behind Kennedy’s unexpected Super Bowl ad in February and emerged as the top contender for Kennedy’s vice presidential pick after a few days of speculation that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in the running.
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47. In February, Shanahan contributed $4 million to American Values 2024, a pro-Kennedy Super PAC, to help fund a retro Super Bowl ad that linked Kennedy with his uncle, John F. Kennedy. The ad sparked blowback from the Kennedy family.
48. Shanahan was closely involved with the creative process behind the ad, reaching out to ad-makers in New York and consulting with lawyers about trademark concerns.
In case there was any doubt as to which side of the political aisle Shanahan finds herself on, another detail mentioned how "Shanahan said she had initially soured on Kennedy after he pulled out of the Democratic primary to run as an independent, but turned back toward him at the beginning of the year."
Shanahan supported Marianne Williamson and then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, before eventually supporting Joe Biden.
Shanahan has been trending over X, with many highlighting how progressive she is. Again, Kennedy was initially running as a Democratic primary challenger to President Biden. If he's going to hurt anyone, it'll be Biden. Former and potentially future President Donald Trump is already leading Biden in the polls, according to RealClearPolling. This is the case when RFK Jr. is included in the matchup and when he is not.
While many may have been expecting Rodgers, especially after Kennedy defended him from CNN smear campaigns, Shanahan had been on the shortlist. In fact, as Axios pointed out:
Catch up quick: Mediaite first reported that Kennedy was set to pick Shanahan for the role. The outlet cited a domain registered earlier in March by Kennedy's senior advisor Link Lipsitz under www.kennedyshanahan.com.
- NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura have also been floated as potential VP choices.
- Kennedy is on a tighter timeline for selecting his VP in order to appear on the ballot as an independent presidential hopeful.
Yes, but: His campaign neither confirmed nor denied the pick to Axios, though they referenced the scheduled March 26 VP announcement date.
- They added that there's been "a lot of speculation in the media" surrounding Kennedy's choice for a running mate.
- Though his campaign director and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy did not disclose the VP pick, she said Shanahan "has indeed been among those conversations," per a post on X.
- The ex-CIA officer said Shanahan's "work on behalf of honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture and children's and maternal health reflects many of our country's most urgent needs."
Kennedy made the switch last October from a Democratic primary opponent to an Independent candidate. Kennedy didn't go quietly, though, as there had been speculation ahead of time he would do so, and he had written an open letter last September to the DNC taking issue with the process. He had been denied Secret Service protection multiple times, despite how his uncle and father had been assassinated, and he himself had been targeted for an attack that his private security foiled.
On the eve of his announcement, Kennedy also warned in a press release that "DNC Invents New Rule in Attempt to Invalidate RFK Jr.’s Nevada Signatures Day Before His VP Announcement." The press release notes that the DNC "had hired an entire team devoted to keeping him off the ballot across the country" and says "Nevada Secretary of State, Democrat Francisco Aguilar, is making a desperate attempt to invalidate the campaign’s signatures in the state."
"This corrupt attempt by the Nevada Secretary of State must be enjoined by a federal judge. The Kennedy campaign intends to depose the Secretary of State to find out exactly which White House or DNC official concocted this scheme," the press release also notes.
Last November, it was projected that Kennedy was on track to make the debate stage. According to RealClearPolling, he currently enjoys 12.3 percent support.