Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has chosen Nicole Shanahan, who has backed him financially, to be his running mate in his bid for president in the 2024 election.
The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon in Oakland, California.
“Kennedy said he was searching for a running mate who understood technology, government agencies’ vulnerability to corruption, the need for secure borders and an athlete,” Politico reported.
“So that is why I’m so proud to introduce to you the next vice president of the United States, my fellow lawyer, a brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce warrior mom, Nicole Shanahan,” Kennedy said.
The political novice — she has never run for office — has donated donated the maximum amount to Kennedy’s campaign and $4 million to the chief super PAC backing his bid to air a retro-themed Super Bowl commercial.
She also gave $500,000 to Common Sense PAC, another super PAC backing Kennedy.
Kennedy has been searching far and wide for a potential running mate. He is running as an independent since he left the Democratic Party in October.
Possible candidates included NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and ex-Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Shanahan, 38, is akin to Kennedy in that she wants to eliminate “toxins in food and water and electromagnetic pollution as well as doing different studies on pharmaceuticals and vaccines,” per Politico.
“There is only one candidate who takes the chronic disease epidemic seriously, and it is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and I will be his ally,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan said while Kennedy focuses on corruption in government agencies, she will apply her skills as a technologist to the issue, per the outlet.
Shanahan has a history of political giving, having made a contribution to President Joe Biden and donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.
Shanahan has also now left the Democratic Party and she and Kennedy will go against Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive major party nominees, in the November general election, per Politico.
“But since Kennedy and Shanahan are both California residents, they will now be unable to accept California’s 54 electoral college votes should they win the state in November unless one of them moves his or her residency to another state, according to the Constitution’s 12th Amendment,” Politico reported.
The road to the White House will not be easy.
“RFK Jr. has no path to victory, and his vice presidential selection does nothing to change that,” Pete Kavanaugh, co-founder of Clear Choice PAC, said in a statement.
Shanahan made headlines when The Wall Street Journal reported that she had an affair with Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla. Both she and Musk denied the affair. She and her then-husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, divorced.
In 2019, Shanahan founded Bia-Echo, a nonprofit foundation. Its mission includes “reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet,” according to its website.
