Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday tapped Nicole Shanahan, a prominent donor, to be his running mate in his independent bid for the White House, saying they are on an “extraordinary crusade to win back our country” and “bring down the Democratic and Republican duopoly” that has steered the nation in a perilous direction.
Mr. Kennedy said Ms. Shanahan is “battle-tested,” “a brilliant scientist, technologist,” and “a fierce warrior mom.”
“Nicole Shanahan will help me rally support for our revolution against the ‘uni party’ rule from both ends of the right and left political spectrum,” he said. “I have asked Nicole to use the platform of the vice president to speak for all — not just young people — all the invisible voiceless Americans who feel let down by our government.”
Ms. Shanahan, 38, has never run for office. She founded a private foundation focused on criminal justice reform and climate change.
She donated to Democrats in the past but said party leaders have lost their way.
Ms. Shanahan, who divorced Google co-founder Sergey Brin last year, has already opened her checkbook for Mr. Kennedy.
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She donated $4 million to the pro-Kennedy American Values super PAC that helped fund an ad playing up the Kennedy family legacy during the Super Bowl.
Providing a glimpse into her political thinking, Ms. Shanahan said she is anti-war and wants to reduce poverty. She said she will fight to end chronic disease, and said the nation’s health issues are directly connected to corporate takeover of agriculture.
“I will work with Bobby Kennedy to make America once again a country of peace, a country of compassion, a country that is prosperous and free,” Ms. Shanahan said.
“It is time for a realignment,” she said. “It is time, as Bobby Kennedy says, to focus on our unifying values, rather than our divisions.”
The focus on Mr. Kennedy has intensified now that President Biden and former President Donald Trump have clinched their respective party nominations — setting up a rematch that most Americans see as a choice between the lesser of two evils. Many voters had hoped to avoid it.
Both Biden and Trump supporters are worried that Mr. Kennedy could be a spoiler in the race.
Mr. Kenney’s vice presidential announcement was met with disdain from Democrats.
“Nicole Shanahan’s primary qualification seems to be her ability to give $$ to @RobertKennedyJr’s broke campaign,” Lis Smith, a Democratic National Committee adviser, said on social media. “After everyone else — Aaron Rodgers, Tony Robbins, Tulsi Gabbard, etc.— said no, RFK Jr. sold the VP slot to the highest bidder.”
Mr. Kennedy envisions building a winning coalition of independent, young and minority voters who feel the two major parties have abandoned them. On Tuesday, Mr. Kennedy warned that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump will not address the nation’s most pressing problems.
“If we vote for either of them again we can expect and we will deserve more of the same: the annihilation of our middle class, the further impoverishment of the working poor, more chronic disease, more epidemics, more environmental destruction, more debt, more war and fewer constitutional rights,” Mr. Kennedy said.
Mr. Kennedy has said he has qualified for the ballot in Utah, New Hampshire and Nevada. His campaign also has accused the Democratic National Committee of relying on nefarious tactics to stop him from appearing on state ballots.
“The DNC is spending millions of dollars in a frantic attempt to keep Kennedy off the ballot because they cannot defeat us in a fair election,” said Kennedy campaign ballot access attorney Paul Rossi. “These are the death throes of a party that once stood for working people but has long since abandoned them to Wall Street, Big Pharma, Big Tech, and the endless war machine.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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