Robert Kennedy Jr. Announces Attorney Nicole Shanahan As His Running Mate

Ted Johnson
·2 min read
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Robert Kennedy Jr. has selected attorney Nicole Shanahan, a contributor to his campaign, as his running made.

Kennedy, who is running an independent campaign for the presidency, made the announcement at an event in Oakland today. CNN and Fox News carried Kennedy’s reveal of his pick; MSNBC reported on it later.

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After being introduced by his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, Kennedy told supporters that he wanted someone “I wanted someone with a spiritual dimension, and compassion, and idealism, and above all a deep love of the United States of America.” He said that Shanahan was also a “brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce warrior mom.”

In her speech, Shanahan said that she didn’t know much about Kennedy as of a year ago, expect for a “mainstream media narrative that was telling me horrible, disparaging things.” She said that a friend recommended that she listen to an interview with him, and found he was “the exact opposite of the media slander of his character.” She said that she “discovered a person who speaks out on issues that, even though they are critically important to human health and welfare, are consistently ignored by our government.”

Kennedy’s vaccine claims, though, have been debunked in the medical community and by fact checking sites, including FactCheck.org. Kennedy has also been called out for claiming that he never said something that he said — like his claim that “no vaccine” is “safe and effective.”

Shanahan has never run for elective office. She reportedly was involved in the production of a $7 million Kennedy Super Bowl ad that mimicked the 1960 spot for his uncle, John F. Kennedy.

Shanahan is the former wife of Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google.

Kennedy is in the midst of the costly process of trying to obtain access to the ballot. The campaign said that Kennedy was already on the ballot in Utah, and has collected enough signatures for New Hampshire, Nevada and Hawaii. Shanahan could contribute her own money to the campaign for that effort.

A number of other members of Kennedy’s family oppose his presidential bid, and recently appeared at the White House for a group shot with Joe Biden. A Biden-supporting Super PAC, Clear Choice, also launched an ad campaign today warning that Kennedy’s bid would be as a “spoiler” who would help Donald Trump win.

Kennedy picked Shanahan but also confirmed that he had had discussions with former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and football star Aaron Rodgers. Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe also said that he had conversations with Kennedy.

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