Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan, a California lawyer and philanthropist who has never held elected office, will be his running mate in his independent presidential campaign. Shanahan, 38, is an unusual candidate for Kennedy’s long-shot campaign since she brings young energy but is little known outside Silicon Valley.
Who is Nicole Shanahan?
Nicole Shanahan leads the Bia-Echo Foundation, which she founded to raise funds for issues such as women’s reproductive science, criminal justice reform, and environmental causes. She is also a Stanford University fellow and was the founder and CEO of ClearAccessIP, a patent management company that was sold in 2020.
Shanahan was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin from 2018 until 2023; they have a daughter together. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Kennedy made the announcement. Before the announcement, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, Kennedy’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law, lauded Shanahan’s work for “honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture, and children’s and maternal health”. She stated that the art “reflects many of our country’s most urgent needs.”
Shanahan has long donated to Democratic politicians, including the maximum amount allowed to Kennedy when he was still running for the party’s nomination
“She’ll tell you that she now understands that the defence agencies work for the military-industrial complex, that health agencies work for big pharma and the USDA works for big ag and the processed food cartels,” Kennedy said at his Oakland rally. “The EPA is in cahoots with the polluters, that the scientists can be mercenaries, that government officials sometimes act as sensors, and that the Fed works for Wall Street and allows millionaire bankers to prey upon Main Street and the American worker.” Kennedy had previously signalled interest in picking a celebrity or a household name such as NFL quarterback Aaron Rogers, “Dirty Jobs” star Mike Rowe or former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who was a wrestler and actor.
According to campaign finance records, Shanahan has long donated to Democratic politicians, including the maximum amount allowed to Kennedy when he was still running for the party’s nomination before moving to an independent bid in October. It was unknown whether Shanahan would contribute her money to the campaign, but she had already opened her chequebook to support Kennedy. She was the main force and primary donor behind a Super Bowl ad created by a pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, to which she contributed USD 4 million.
In response to criticism following the ad’s release, the super PAC stated that the “idea, funding, and execution came primarily” from Shanahan. The super PAC can receive limitless donations, but it is legally prohibited from collaborating with Kennedy’s team. But as a candidate for vice president, Shanahan can give unlimited sums to the campaign directly. That’s potentially a huge boost for Kennedy’s expensive push to get on the ballot in all 50 states, an endeavour he has said will cost USD 15 million and require collecting more than a million signatures.