Current:Home > MyWho is Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new running mate?-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Who is Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new running mate?
View Date:2024-12-24 00:28:56
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has picked Nicole Shanahan, a California lawyer and philanthropist who's never held elected office, to be his running mate in his independent bid for president, he announced on Tuesday.
An unconventional choice, Shanahan, who is 38, brings youth and considerable wealth to Kennedy's long-shot campaign but is little known outside Silicon Valley.
Shanahan leads the Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to direct money toward issues including women's reproductive science, criminal justice reform and environmental causes. She also is a Stanford University fellow and was the founder and chief executive of ClearAccessIP, a patent management firm that was sold in 2020.
Shanahan was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin from 2018 to 2023, and they have a young daughter. She was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Kennedy made his announcement.
On Tuesday, Shanahan talked about her hardscrabble upbringing in Oakland, the daughter of a mother who immigrated from China and an Irish and German-American father "plagued by substance abuse" who "struggled to keep a job." Touching on her family's reliance on government assistance, Shanahan said that, although she had become "very wealthy later on in life," she felt she could relate to Americans being "just one misfortune away from disaster."
"The purpose of wealth is to help those in need. That's what it's for," Shanahan said. "And I want to bring that back to politics, too. That is the purpose of privilege."
Before the announcement, Kennedy's campaign manager and daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, praised Shanahan's work on behalf of "honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture and children's and maternal health." She said the work "reflects many of our country's most urgent needs."
Kennedy said in an interview Monday with "The State of California" on KCBS radio that his VP search placed a priority on "somebody who could represent young people." On Tuesday, he said that Shanahan — who he noted, like him, has "left the Democratic Party" — also shares his concerns about government overreach and his distrust in major political parties' abilities to make lasting change.
"She'll tell you that she now understands that the defense 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 censors, and that the Fed works for Wall Street and allows millionaire bankers to prey upon on Main Street and the American worker."
Kennedy also said that, in part, Shanahan's heritage played at least some role in his selection of her.
"I wanted someone who would honor the traditions our nation, as a nation of immigrants, but who also understands that to be a nation, we need to secure borders," he said.
Kennedy had previously signaled interest in picking a celebrity or a household name such as NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, "Dirty Jobs" star Mike Rowe or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who was a wrestler and actor.
According to campaign finance records, Shanahan has long donated to Democratic candidates. It was unclear if Shanahan would use her own money on the campaign, but she has already opened her wallet to back Kennedy, giving the maximum amount allowed to Kennedy when he was still pursuing that party's nomination before switching to an independent bid in October.
She was a driving force and the primary donor behind a Super Bowl ad produced by a pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, for which she contributed $4 million. In response to criticism following the ad's release, the super PAC said its "idea, funding, and execution came primarily" from Shanahan.
The super PAC can accept unlimited funds but is legally barred from coordinating 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 endeavor he has said will cost $15 million and require collecting more than 1 million signatures.
- In:
- Mike Rowe
- Minnesota
- Elections
- Political Action Committee
- Politics
- California
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Oakland
veryGood! (585)
Related
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- 'It just went from 0 to 60': Tyreek Hill discusses confrontation with Miami police
- NYC mayor declines to say if he remains confident in the police commissioner after a visit from feds
- 'Rocket fuel' in Gulf may propel Francine closer to hurricane status: Live updates
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
- Airport Fire in California blamed on crews doing fire-prevention work: See wildfire map
- Ex-Michigan players, including Braylon Edwards, Denard Robinson, suing NCAA, Big Ten Network
- Who Is Dave Grohl's Wife? Everything to Know About Jordyn Blum
- Taking stock of bonds: Does the 60/40 rule still have a role in retirement savings?
- Who is Mauricio Pochettino? What to know about the new USMNT head coach
Ranking
- Oprah Winfrey Addresses Claim She Was Paid $1 Million by Kamala Harris' Campaign
- Amid fears of storm surge and flooding, Hurricane Francine takes aim at Louisiana coast
- When does the 2024 MTV VMAs start? Date, time, what channels to watch the awards
- Dodgers' miscues, Pete Crow-Armstrong push Cubs to win in Yoshinobu Yamamoto's return
- Let Demi Moore’s Iconic Fashion Give You More Inspiration
- What Star Wars’ Mark Hamill Would Say Now to Late Best Friend Carrie Fisher
- Prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme heat, critics say
- Adopted. Abused. Abandoned. How a Michigan boy's parents left him in Jamaica
Recommendation
-
Watch as dust storm that caused 20-car pileup whips through central California
-
Dallas juvenile detention center isolated kids and falsified documents, state investigation says
-
Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 2
-
When does 'Survivor' Season 47 start? Premiere date, cast, where to watch and stream
-
Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
-
Hawaii voters asked to ensure protection of same-sex marriage
-
NYC mayor declines to say if he remains confident in the police commissioner after a visit from feds
-
Personal assistant convicted of dismembering his boss is sentenced to 40 years to life