Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Announces Nicole Shanahan as 2024 Running Mate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential race, announced on Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan will be his running mate.

Details: Shanahan, 38, is a Silicon Valley lawyer who was formerly married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. She founded ClearAccessIP, a patent management company, and sold it for an undisclosed amount in 2020. She previously donated $4 million to the pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, to air a Super Bowl commercial in support of Kennedy.

Key Quotes: Speaking with Newsweek (Center bias), Shanahan said she initially dismissed Kennedy’s campaign until listening to him in an interview. She stated, “I discovered there was definitely a misalignment between what I thought and who he really is. I didn't even know he was an environmental lawyer. And he's not an anti-vaxxer; he's just someone who takes vaccine injuries seriously.” Speaking with Newsweek about his selection of Shanahan, Kennedy stated, “I wanted someone who is not in league with big pharma, big agriculture and the processed food industries that are poisoning our children. She's a mom, and I need someone who understands the struggle to keep children healthy.”

How the Media Covered It: HuffPost (Left bias) characterized Kennedy as an “anti-vaccine advocate and conspiracy theorist” who supports the “debunked theory that vaccines are linked to autism” and who considered a “variety of unconventional candidates” for his running mate. The Daily Caller (Right bias) noted efforts from the Democratic National Committee and President Joe Biden to combat Kennedy’s campaign.