Robert Kennedy, Jr. introduced Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential candidate

Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that he has selected attorney Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential candidate, giving him the prospect of financial clout and sought-after connections in the technology industry.

Kennedy, a known vaccination opponent, hopes to appeal to voters frustrated that President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump will face off again in the Nov. 5 election. He introduced Shanahan as a vice presidential candidate at a campaign event during which the candidate criticized the pharmaceutical industry and covid lockdowns.

Previously, the name of Aaron Rodgers, a star in the National Football League, had been floated among potential vice presidential candidates. Kennedy told hundreds of supporters that he wanted someone who was “athletic,” battle-tested, skeptical of economic regulation and had empathy for the hardships of ordinary Americans as a vice presidential candidate.

“I am proud to introduce to you the next vice president of the United States, my fellow advocate, a brilliant scientist, a technologist, an undaunted ‘battle mom,’ Nicole Shanahan,” Kennedy said at an event in Oakland.

Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, spoke about her childhood in Oakland, her father who abused drugs, her success at Stanford University and the moment she learned her child had been diagnosed with autism.

Shanahan said what attracted her to Kennedy included their shared attitude toward health. “There is no other presidential candidate who has taken the chronic disease epidemic as seriously as Robert Kennedy Jr. and I will be his ally in taking back our nation’s health,” she said.

She said the cause of Americans’ poor health is environmental, including polluted bodies of water, electromagnetic waves from cell phones and “poisons” in foods and drugs.

Kennedy is favored by 15% of registered voters, compared to 39% of Biden supporters and 38% of Trump supporters, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The Democratic National Committee and many political strategists believe Kennedy’s campaign could be a “stumbling block” in the 2024 election and lead to a Trump victory.

“Our campaign is a stumbling block. I agree with that,” Kennedy said Tuesday. – It’s a stumbling block for President Biden and for President Trump. It’s a stumbling block for the war machine.”

Shanahan is unlikely to help Kennedy with her popularity, but her wealth and activism on reproductive rights will help his campaign build financial resources and momentum.

She is president of the private Bia-Echo Foundation, which invests in reproductive health, helping women have children at a more advanced age and promoting criminal justice reform and environmental issues.

Shanahan told the New York Times that she was the creative force and financial backer of Kennedy’s campaign commercial that aired at this year’s Super Bowl. The candidate ended up having to apologize to his family members because the ad heavily highlighted his connection to his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.

That ad was criticized by Kennedy’s cousin, Bobby Shriver, who said the late president and Shriver’s mother would have been “horrified by his deadly views on health care” regarding vaccines.

Shanahan has donated $4 million to the pro-JFK Polite Action Committee. She told the New York Times.

Shanahan previously registered as a Democrat, and federal campaign finance records show she has been a frequent donor in previous election cycles to Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigich.

Groups backing Biden have stepped up efforts to discredit Kennedy over his naming Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate. Biden-supporting super-PAC Clear Choice launched a website emphasizing that Kennedy is sponsored by billionaire Timothy Mellon, who also donated to Trump’s campaign.

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