If the independent presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wasn’t causing enough concern to both major political parties, his Tuesday announcement of progressive entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate should get their attention.
The Hill reports that Shanahan is a California-based attorney and entrepreneur and the founder and president of Bia Echo Foundation, a private nonprofit that issues grants for issues including reproductive rights, equality, criminal justice reform, and the environment. Shanahan was also married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin and was a major contributor to the campaigns of Pete Buttigieg, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.
The announcement brought immediate criticism from both Democrat pundits and conservatives.
Democratic strategist Lis Smith, appearing on the “Pod Save America” podcast, reduced the pick to the fact that Shanahan was the only potential running mate who said yes and because she is wealthy. “This might be the first case in history where someone was able to buy themselves a VP slot,” she said.
Democratic strategist @Lis_Smith on RFK Jr. choosing Nicole Shanahan for vice president: “This might be the first case in history where someone was able to buy themselves a VP slot.”
New pod out tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/oWVgqvzzOE
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) March 26, 2024
PJ Media’s Matt Margolis said that the choice further solidifies the ticket’s progressive bona fides, which is likely to turn off conservatives who’d been flirting with supporting Kennedy in November because they don’t like Donald Trump.
According to the Intelligencer, Kennedy will almost certainly be the object of unfriendly attention from the camp of the major-party candidate he seems to be hurting. This could show up in attacks on his credibility, his ideology, or his effect on the overall outcome.
Kennedy’s ability to hurt the major candidates is also directly tied to his ballot presence, according to Politico.
“His campaign is officially on the ballot in one state so far — Utah. But it says it has collected enough signatures to also qualify in Nevada, Hawaii and New Hampshire.
American Values 2024, a pro-Kennedy super PAC, says it has collected enough signatures to get him on the ballot in Michigan, South Carolina, Arizona and Georgia.”
Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty, according to the Associated Press. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author, and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water, the Associated Press reports.
