RFK Jr. announces Nicole Shanahan as his VP pick

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday he was “most importantly” looking for a young person as a running mate and picked 38-year-old Nicole Shanahan because he believes she can speak to the “the growing number of millennials and Gen Z Americans who have last faith in their future.” 

Kennedy, 70, attacked President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the respective presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, for their age, while suggesting it may contribute to what he says are poor policies on technology regulation and the economy. 

“We're now witnessing this dismaying contest between the two oldest presidential candidates in history,” he said.

Kennedy said Shanahan, as vice president, would "represent the working poor who feel forgotten” and struggle to make ends meet. Shanahan has previously said her family grew up relying on welfare.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential pick Tuesday.

The 38-year-old, first-time candidate enters the race largely unknown to the public outside of tech circles but was an early supporter of Kennedy’s presidential bid, backing him last year while he was still running in the Democratic primary.

Kennedy’s campaign is hoping Shanahan’s youth and fluency in the tech world’s anti-establishment rhetoric will help him expand and excite his base of support.

Here's what to know about Kennedy's running mate:

"A hard childhood": An Oakland native, Shanahan was raised by a father diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and a mother who immigrated to the US from China, according to People magazine. Her family relied on welfare growing up and struggled to make ends meet, the publication reported. “I had a very hard childhood with a lot of sadness, fear and instability,” Shanahan told People.

"Not an anti-vaxxer": Though Shanahan has been more cautious in her statements about vaccines than Kennedy, a leading skeptic, she has repeatedly questioned their safety. Shanahan told Newsweek that she received a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and a booster and that her daughter has received all her regularly scheduled vaccines. She also told the magazine that she suffered from “significant health issues” since receiving her Covid vaccine.

In the public eye: Shanahan and Google co-founder Sergey Brin were divorced last year. In 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Shanahan had an affair with Elon Musk, prompting Shanahan and Brin to separate. Both Shanahan and Musk have denied the affair.

Possible financial boost: Shanahan, a deep-pocketed investor, could also provide a financial boost to backstop Kennedy’s expensive campaign and its attempt to get on the presidential ballot in all 50 states.

Read more about Shanahan here.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate Tuesday.

“I'm so proud to introduce to you the next vice president the United States, my fellow lawyer, a brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce warrior mom, Nicole Shanahan,” Kennedy said at a rally in Oakland, California.

Shanahan's selection will accelerate Kennedy's attempts to gain ballot access in as many states as possible. Nearly half of US states require a named vice presidential pick to advance the process to make the ballot.

Shanahan will also be tasked with broadening Kennedy's appeal and potentially helping to raise money for his big-spending campaign. There has also been speculation that the wealthy 38-year-old, who was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, could reach into her own pockets to aid the cause.

Read more about Kennedy's announcement.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is onstage addressing supporters gathered in Oakland, California, for his vice presidential announcement.

Kennedy is expected to name attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate Tuesday, The New York Times reported, citing two people close to the campaign.

The move will accelerate Kennedy’s attempt to gain ballot access in as many states as possible. Nearly half require a vice presidential pick in order to advance that process.

Kennedy's selection, which will be announced at an event in Oakland, California, will also be tasked with broadening his appeal and helping raise money to fuel his big-spending campaign. There has been speculation that Shanahan, a wealthy 38-year-old, could reach into her own pockets to aid the cause.

Read more about Kennedy's upcoming announcement.

A super PAC aligned with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. boosted its spending in February, pouring resources into advertising and ballot access efforts, recent federal filings show.

American Values 2024, the lead super PAC supporting Kennedy’s campaign, reported spending nearly $8.8 million last month, a dramatic increase over the $1.4 million it spent in January. The biggest expense in February: more than $6 million to CBS for a high-profile and controversial Super Bowl ad that repurposed a spot from the 1960 presidential campaign of the candidate’s late uncle.

The group also reported spending about $950,000 on ballot access endeavors as Kennedy seeks a place on presidential candidate rosters in the fall.

American Values 2024 reported raising $4.2 million last month, with $4 million coming from megadonor Gavin de Becker. The private security company executive previously donated $10 million to the super PAC and has been refunded $9.65 million – in an unusual arrangement that super PAC officials have previously described as “bridge funding.”

Earlier this month, the Democratic National Committee filed a complaint against the super PAC, alleging the group failed to properly disclose de Becker’s activity as loans and loan repayments. American Values 2024 did not report refunding any more contributions in February.

Meanwhile, Kennedy’s principal campaign committee raised $3.2 million and spent nearly $2.9 million last month. It entered March with about $5.1 million in cash on hand and had more than $1.3 million in debts to de Becker’s firm for security services and travel costs.

Read more from the latest federal filings.

Nicole Shanahan, the reported vice presidential pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has a yearslong history of large donations to Democratic candidates and causes, federal records show.

Shanahan is expected to be introduced today as Kennedy's running mate, The New York Times reported, and her personal fortune and political giving could be a major asset to the campaign. Shanahan was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and there has been speculation that the Bay Area tech veteran could reach into her own pockets to continue aiding Kennedy's cause.

Already, Shanahan has been a major contributor to Kennedy's presidential effort. She told The Times last month that she had given $4 million to the lead super PAC supporting Kennedy's candidacy to help fund a pricey Super Bowl ad. Shanahan has also given $6,600 directly to Kennedy's campaign, the maximum individual contribution allowable.

In addition to giving to pro-Kennedy causes this cycle, Shanahan gave the individual maximum contribution in April 2023 to Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat.

Before this election cycle, Shanahan was a large donor to Democratic candidates and causes. She gave $25,000 to Joe Biden’s joint fundraising committee in June 2020, and the maximum individual contribution to his campaign. Shanahan also gave $19,400 directly to the Democratic National Committee that year.

But in a potential preview of her interest in Biden challengers, Shanahan also made maximum contributions to Democrat Marianne Williamson’s White House bid in 2019, as well as a PAC aligned with another Democratic contender that cycle, Pete Buttigieg.

Federal Election Commission records show Shanahan’s political giving began in 2014, and she was a maximum donor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016.

In the intervening years, Shanahan has also given maximum contributions to a variety of Democratic congressional candidates.

CNN's Alex Leeds Matthews contributed to this post.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to name attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

Other people whom Kennedy reportedly considered as a vice presidential pick included:

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.

Democrats insist that Robert F. Kennedy would be a spoiler candidate who could help Donald Trump defeat Joe Biden. But it’s unclear which candidate Kennedy would pull more support from. 

CNN polling released Friday from Michigan and Pennsylvania – two states Trump won in 2016 that Biden then flipped in 2020 – showed Kennedy hitting 16% in Pennsylvania in a hypothetical four-way matchup with Trump (40%), Biden (38%) and independent candidate Cornel West (4%), and taking 18% in Michigan in a similar face-off with Trump (40%), Biden (34%) and West (4%).

Both polls showed Kennedy winning a plurality of support from voters holding an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump, despite large shares of that group also saying they don’t know enough about him to have an opinion.

Read more about the Michigan and Pennsylvania polls.