Kennedy to Announce Nicole Shanahan as Vice Presidential Candidate

TFD – Get the scoop on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s upcoming announcement of Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential candidate.

According to two sources close to the campaign, The New York Times reported that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to name Nicole Shanahan, an entrepreneur and attorney, as his running mate on Tuesday.

Kennedy’s presidential campaign is at a turning point, and this event could expedite his attempts to secure ballot access in every state. Kennedy’s choice for vice president, who will be revealed at an Oakland, California event, will also have to work toward increasing Kennedy’s popularity and raising money for his lavish campaign.

Kennedy stated to CNN earlier this month that he had already “made up his mind” on his ticket partner. Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, former TV host Mike Rowe, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay were among those who were also considered for the role in addition to Shanahan.

Kennedy stated that his choice for a running partner “has ties” to the Oakland region in an interview that aired on Sunday.

“The candidate we selected is from the neighborhood. Oakland holds a special place in my heart as well. Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and the son of former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, said Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU, “My father campaigned there and got tremendous support in 1968 during his presidential campaign.”

Kennedy’s purported shortlist of contenders includes two individuals with strong ties to the Bay Area: Rodgers, a Chico, California native who played football at UC Berkeley, and Shanahan, an Oakland native who was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Although vice presidential nominees for major-party presidential candidates are usually announced closer to their party’s summer nomination conventions, Kennedy is making his announcement early in order for his campaign to proceed with its ballot access efforts. Based on information provided by the campaign, 23 states allow his campaign to start gathering signatures for ballot access petitions as soon as it announces a vice presidential nominee.

Kennedy wants to be listed on the ballot in each of the 50 states as well as Washington, DC, although he is currently only listed in Utah. While the super PAC supporting his White House bid claims to have enough signatures to qualify Kennedy in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and South Carolina, his campaign claims to have amassed enough signatures to be eligible for the ballot in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Hawaii.

His ballot access in Nevada, however, could be in jeopardy. In a statement to CNN on Monday, Nevada Secretary of State spokesperson Cecilia Heston said “an error” had been made in communicating ballot access guidance to the campaign, which had announced earlier this month that it had gathered enough signatures to qualify. The law indicates candidates must “designate a nominee for Vice President” in their petitions.

Kennedy campaign ballot access attorney Paul Rossi suggested Nevada Democrats were attempting to block Kennedy from gaining ballot access in the state – a claim the secretary of state’s office rejected. “In no way was the initial error or subsequent statutory guidance made with intent to benefit or harm any political party or candidate for office,” Heston said in the statement.

Democratic attempts to block Kennedy, whom they paint as a spoiler candidate who could aid former President Donald Trump in unseating President Joe Biden, are an additional obstacle to being on the ballot. In the last two months, the Democratic National Committee has filed two complaints with the Federal Election Committee, alleging that American Values 2024, a super PAC that supports Kennedy, violated campaign finance laws and improperly collaborated with the Kennedy campaign to operate its own ballot access initiative. Last week, the Democratic Party of Hawaii objected to the Kennedy campaign’s ballot access petition there, temporarily blocking it ahead of a state elections office hearing Thursday.

Aside from the fact that he needs to start collecting signatures in over half of the states that are still open, Kennedy hasn’t disclosed much about the kinds of voters he plans to introduce as his vice presidential candidate. Kennedy declared that his running partner would be “someone who was aligned with my values, optimistic about our country and its potential, and able to run the country at a moment’s notice” in an interview with CNN earlier this month.

Following reports that Kennedy had met with Rodgers about the possibility of joining the campaign, CNN reported that the NFL star had shared in private conversations conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting not being real, including in one instance to CNN anchor Pamela Brown. In response, Rodgers said in a social media post he has “never been of the opinion that the events did not take place” and called the shooting “an absolute tragedy.” In a statement to CNN, Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear called the Sandy Hook shooting “a horrific tragedy.”

Last week, CNN reported that Robbins and Kennedy had met as early as 2023 about Robbins being Kennedy’s running mate. But Robbins made clear to Kennedy that he did not believe this was the right time for him to run for public office.

Identify Americans who have strong presidential candidates. Kennedy family members, some of whom joined the president for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House last week, have criticized his choice to question Biden. In April 2023, he launched his primary challenge to Joe Biden for the presidency. He announced his intention to run as an independent last autumn after withdrawing from the Democratic primary, claiming that the two-party system has not succeeded in advancing

Kennedy has been in communication with the Libertarian Party since last year as he explores his independent presidential candidacy. As per an informed source, he reconvened with party chair Angela McArdle in February. Kennedy told CNN earlier this year that he was “very comfortable with most of the values of the Libertarian Party.”

Even while polls indicate that Kennedy is garnering a sizable amount of support in crucial areas, Democrats are adamant that he would be a spoiler for Trump. It is unclear from which major-party candidate Kennedy would draw more support. Kennedy scored 16% in Pennsylvania in a hypothetical four-way race against Trump (40%), Biden (38%) and independent candidate Cornel West (4%), according to CNN polling from Michigan and Pennsylvania released on Friday. In a similar contest against Trump (40%), Biden (34%) and West (4%), Kennedy scored 18% in Michigan.

Kennedy garnered a majority of support from voters who had a negative opinion of both Biden and Trump, according to both surveys, even though a sizable portion of that demographic also claimed they didn’t know enough about him to form a judgment.

Researcher on third parties in the US Bernard Tamas remarked that since Americans have never been particularly interested in running mates, the hoopla around Kennedy’s announcement of his vice presidential choice may not have a significant impact.

Vice presidential contenders, especially those from significant parties, seldom advance in the electoral process. Furthermore, Tamas, a professor at Georgia’s Valdosta State University, stated that it is unlikely that the minor-party candidates will make a significant difference in an already ignorant state.

However, as the campaign navigates the expensive ballot qualification process and a general election campaign against Biden and Trump, both of whom dwarf the Kennedy campaign’s financial totals, Kennedy’s running mate may help increase fundraising.

According to recent FEC data, the Kennedy campaign spent roughly $2.9 million and raised just $3.2 million in February, leaving it with roughly $5.1 million in the bank at the end of the campaign. $8.8 million was spent in February by American Values 2024, which included $6.2 million for a television commercial that ran during the Super Bowl. Shanahan said to The New York Times last month that she helped coordinate the commercial’s creation and gave the PAC about $4 million to broadcast the advertisement.

Kennedy has denied giving a prospective running mate’s fortune priority while considering his options.

Kennedy declared last week in an interview with NewsNation, “I would never choose a vice presidential candidate based on how much money they have.”