Robert F. Kennedy Jr. closes in on choosing a vice presidential candidate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made a decision on a vice presidential running mate from a short list that includes NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. He is close to announcing his pick, according to his campaign manager Amaryllis Fox Kennedy.

The environmental and anti-vaccine activist has also approached Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, according to two people with knowledge of the campaign, who were granted anonymity to speak about internal deliberations. One of those people also said motivational speaker Tony Robbins had been in the mix; the two “spent the day" together in Florida this January.

But not everyone on Kennedy’s list is open to running with him. Paul indicated he would decline an invitation to be on the presidential ticket.

“I’m supportive of his ability to have a platform to speak out. I think he’s saying a lot of good things. But I have no plans to get involved in the campaign,” the Kentucky Republican said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill.

Paul and Kennedy met at his Senate office on Jan. 10, and Doug Stafford, Paul’s chief strategist, is now a consultant with the Kennedy campaign, one person with knowledge of the campaign said. Kennedy has said he supports Paul to be the next Senate GOP leader.

Gabbard, who was an early name rumored to be Kennedy’s running mate, has stopped cooperating with the Kennedy campaign’s VP vetting team, according to those two people. Instead, the former congresswoman, who left the Democratic Party, has turned her attention to former President Donald Trump’s candidacy. Gabbard recently hosted a fundraiser for the former president at his Mar-a-Lago club following last week's Super Tuesday elections.

Gabbard did not respond immediately to an email request for comment. The New York Times first reported on Kennedy’s shortlist.

In an interview with POLITICO in early January, Kennedy said he would name a vice presidential candidate in 60 days. He’s now two days away from his own deadline. And the campaign needs to list a vice presidential candidate in about 24 states to collect valid signatures to appear on the ballot. Those states include Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, according to Kennedy’s campaign website.

Kennedy’s candidacy has been both unexpectedly popular and controversial, owing to his longtime advocacy against vaccines and his periodic comments showing support for policies associated with Trump. He has drawn a celebrity following, especially among those who have shared his outward skepticism of vaccines.

That includes Rodgers, who sparked controversy in 2021 when he told media he was "immunized" against Covid-19, but later said he had not received a vaccine shot. The NFL quarterback has also never held public office before and is slated to be the starting quarterback this year for the New York Jets. Kennedy posted a photo ofhimself and Rodgers on a hike in California recently on his X account.
The Kennedy campaign also hosted a rally in Tuscon, where Ventura, who had a career as a professional wrestler before he entered politics, introduced Kennedy on stage. Ventura won an upset victory for Minnesota governor in 1998 as an independent. Following the event, Kennedy’s biographer wrote a blog post for the super PAC supporting Kennedy that boasted: “I told Jesse of a poll of under-thirty voters finding him the most popular choice to be Bobby’s vice-presidential running mate.”

Ventura’s former campaign chair Dean Barkley said he wouldn’t be surprised if Ventura chose to reenter electoral politics.

“He was contemplating running for president with the Libertarians last time around,” Barkley said, though he said he’s not in touch with Ventura today. “He's kept an interest in politics and his four years as governor didn't turn him off of politics. So I think he’d be up for one more final run.”

Kennedy will officially be on the ballot in Utah this November. The campaign says it’s collected enough signatures to also be on the ballot in New Hampshire, Nevada and Hawaii.

American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting Kennedy, also said it has collected enough signatures to get Kennedy on the ballot in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and South Carolina. But on Monday evening, pac co-founder Tony Lyons announced that the PAC would no longer work on ballot access.

Lyons previously said American Values 2024 would put up to $15 million behind Kennedy’s ballot access petition drives across 10 states. This pledge prompted a formal complaint from the DNC, which argued the PAC's signature-gathering effort amounted to an enormous in-kind contribution to the campaign.

“We understand that the campaign is pursuing ballot access in all states. Given the campaign's success, we are no longer collecting signatures in any additional states, and will continue to fight the DNC or RNC when they try to interfere with the constitutional rights of American voters who overwhelmingly want independent candidates on the ballot,” the post said. Lyons did not respond to a request for comment.