Nicole Shanahan- The lawyer and business owner, just like Kennedy, has never tried to get elected for a political job.
Nicole Shanahan as Vice President Candidate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s running for president on his own, is set to reveal on Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan, a successful lawyer and businessperson from the San Francisco Bay Area, will be joining his team as his vice president. Two sources close to Kennedy’s campaign shared this information.
Shanahan, similar to Kennedy, has never run for elected office. He’s given money to Kennedy’s campaign and his super PAC.
The Kennedy campaign will hold an announcement event in Oakland, California later on Tuesday.
Kennedy’s choice comes at a crucial moment for his campaign. Independent candidates face various rules to get on the ballot in each state, often needing to gather thousands of signatures on petitions. However, in over half of states, independents must submit their paperwork with a specified running mate. Deadlines for this are approaching fast in some states.
Kennedy looked at several possible vice presidential candidates, such as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard, and TV host Mike Rowe. Rowe shared his interview experience with weeklywakeup News, mentioning that Kennedy discussed important policies and stood by his stance against vaccines.
In the end, sources revealed that Kennedy focused on Shanahan. Shanahan had previously been part of creating a memorable Super Bowl ad supporting Kennedy in February.
Shanahan told The New York Times that she pitched in to create the ad and donated $4 million to the super PAC American Values 2024 recently to broadcast it. Federal records on campaign finances reveal a $4 million donation to the super PAC on January 31st from Planeta Management LLC, which sounds a lot like her investment firm, Planeta Ventures.
Joining Kennedy’s ticket seems to offer Shanahan a way to contribute her wealth directly to the campaign instead of funneling it through an outside group. This means Kennedy can use the funds for important tasks like collecting petition signatures for ballot access.
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According to Federal Election Commission rules, vice presidential candidates can donate their own money to their campaign without any restrictions, just like presidential candidates, as long as their campaign isn’t seeking public funding.
Shanahan, a tech lawyer and entrepreneur who later became a philanthropist, has been closely connected to major players in the tech industry throughout his life in California.
She started ClearAccessIP, a company that uses AI to assist patent owners in handling their intellectual property. In 2020, IPwe bought the company.
In 2018, she tied the knot with Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, but they split in 2022. Reports from The Wall Street Journal claimed she had a relationship with Elon Musk, a billionaire, which both she and Musk have denied. Despite their denials, The Wall Street Journal has stuck by their story.
In a 2023 essay for People magazine, Shanahan debunked the WSJ’s story suggesting her affair with Elon Musk caused her marriage to end. She compared it to saying polar bears’ body heat melts the Arctic ice caps—ridiculous and hurtful.
The Bia-Echo Foundation, led by Shanahan, aims to make a big impact on important topics like extending reproductive health and rights, improving fairness in the criminal justice system, and ensuring a sustainable and healthy environment.
Shanahan, who has a daughter with autism, has recently provided funding for research into the causes of the disorder. She shared with the New York Times in February that her support for Kennedy was driven by worries about children’s health and the environment, including concerns about vaccines.
Kennedy, who leads the well-funded anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, has made opposing vaccines one of his main focuses. While taking a break from his role there to run for president, he’s packed his campaign with fellow anti-vaccine advocates.
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