LOS ANGELES.–Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, plans to pick his Vice President running mate March 26 in Oakland, Calif., pointing to billionaire, 38-year-old Nicole Shanahan, former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. While the Kennedy team floated other names, including NFL New York Jets’ Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and 72-year-old former Minnesota Gov. Jesse “The Body” Ventura, everything now points to Shanahan, a young lawyer with oodles of cash necessary for the expensive job of putting RFK Jr. on the ballot in all 50 states. “Having a vice president on the ticket shows that he’s moving forward,” said Tony Lyons, co-founder of the American Values super PAC. Rodgers was apparently scratched from the list because of telling CNN’s Pamela Brown in 2012 that “it was an inside job,” denying the reality of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Picking Shanahan who has no high profile on her own would add little to RFK Jr.’s ticket other that providing the needed cash to get on the ballot in all 50 states. “It costs so much money,” said an anonymous pro-Kennedy source. “That one of the other issue running an independent insurgent campaign. It’s hard to compete financially against the two campaigns. They seemingly have unlimited funds,” said the source. Shanhan satisfies the cash-dilemma with 81-year-old President Joe Biden having a war chest of $71 million and climbing everyday. Democrats have lined up for Biden despite reservations of voters showing they don’t think he’s physically and mentally fit for another four years. Democrats, including RFK Jr.’s own family, have actively worked against his candidacy. Much of the media dismiss RFK Jr. as a conspiracy kook for his opposition to vaccines.
Picking a VP gives RFK Jr.’s campaign added credibility at a time when it’s been dismissed as a fringe candidate by the White House. Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez has the White House spin machine heavily focused on RFK Jr., fearing that if his campaign gains traction for independent voters, it could pull off another 1992 H. Ross Perot effect, where the Texas oilman took 20% of the GOP vote from President George H.W. Bush, handing the presidency to President Bill Clinton. Real concerns exist in 2024 because of polls showing that sizable numbers, as much as 70%, of Democrat, Republican and independent voters think Biden is too old to run for a second term. Chavez-Rodriguez has an uphill battle selling the public on four more years of Joe Biden. RFK Jr. could offer independent voters, some 33% of the electorate, a real alternative.
Picking Shanahan would be a real cash infusion into Kennedy’s campaign at a time it could head south quickly, especially if the Democrat establishment, including the media, hammers him as a conspiracy nut. RFK Jr. infuriated the Kennedy clan when he said Aug. 27, 2021 that he supported parole of his father’s assassin. Beyond that, RFK Jr.’s work with victims of vaccine injuries as an environmental attorney won him the reputation of antivaxxer. Whether that was valid or not, RFK Jr. was attracted to Aaron Rodgers, in part, for his opposition to Covid-19 vaccines. RFK Jr. said Rodgers was battle-tested with the press who hammered him on his stance against Covid-19 vaccines. “Anything that gets him closer to being on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is a step forward and shows people that he’s going all the way,” said Lyons.
Pairing RFK Jr. up with a running mate gives added clout to his campaign as he tries to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states. RFK Jr. has been a difficult target for the Democrat Party machine because his family’s history in the Party. RFK Jr.’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy has been an icon in the Democrat Party since his assassination Nov. 22, 1963. RFK’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, holds a nostalgic spot in the Democrat Party after his June 6, 1968 assassination in Los Angeles after winning the California primary. So, when it comes to attacking RFK Jr., Chavez Rodriguez lets surrogates circulate rumors about RFK Jr.’s unconventional stance on vaccines and other conspiracies. Adding 38-year-old little known billionaire California lawyer Nicole Shanahan does nothing to reassure voters that she’s qualified for president.
White House insiders fear of a repeat of 1992 when independent candidate H. Ross Perot upended President George H.W. Bush’s bid for a second term. RFK Jr. has the added appeal this time around because of Biden’s age and Trump’s baggage carried into th2 2024 race despite his popularity with his own base. Because RFK Jr. is a scion of the Kennedy Clan it’s more difficult for the Democrat Party to attack him politically. But has his candidacy gains momentum, there’s no question it grows as a threat to Biden’s campaign. “There’s a large independent sector of the population, there’s a lot of people that are dissatisfied with what’s going on and then there’s people who frankly don’t like either Biden or Trump,” said Ron Nielson, a veteran Democrat campaign strategist. White House officials worry about RFK Jr. peeling off Democrat voters from Biden.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
