- Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy announced Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan would be his choice for vice president.
- The 38-year-old millionaire lawyer met with Kennedy in her hometown of Oakland, California.
- She is the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin and financed Kennedy’s Super Bowl commercial.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy announced Tuesday that millionaire lawyer Nicole Shanahan was his running mate.
In his hometown of Oakland, California, Kennedy joked about who he had chosen before bringing Shanahan on stage, noting that his choice was a woman, an avid surfer, who possessed the “gift of curiosity” and had “a deep love for the United States of America.” America.’
In naming Shanahan, the independent candidate said her most important attribute was her age (38), as she wanted a younger generation to be represented in her 2024 bid.
Ahead of the announcement, a wide cast of characters were mentioned as part of what’s at stake.
New York Jets player Aaron Rodgers, rapper Killer Mike, former wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former Rep. References were made to Tulsi Gabbard, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe, life coach Tony Robbins, Republican Senator Rand Paul, former Republican Senator Scott Brown, Libertarian podcaster Dave Smith and Tricia Lindsay, Republican candidate for state Senate in NY.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan was his choice for vice president.
Supporters of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. applaud before his announcement as vice president Tuesday morning in Oakland, California.
On Tuesday it was widely expected to be Shanahan, as RFK Jr. joked that he wanted to add a fresh, young face to his ticket.
‘We were looking for someone who could represent young people. “Millennials and Generation Z. They are the priority of my campaign, just as young people were the priority of my father’s campaign in 1968 and my uncle’s campaign in 1960,” he told KCBS radio in San Francisco on Monday.
Nicole Shanahan at a gala in Los Angeles in 2021
He said young Americans were “bearing the brunt of the bad leadership we’ve had in the past.”
‘You know, they’re the ones who are paying the debt. They are the ones who suffer from chronic diseases. And I really wanted someone young. “I think Nicole is 38,” she joked. ‘She wanted someone who was super smart. She wanted an athlete who could inspire Americans to get healthy.’
Shanahan fit the bill: He had a law degree and launched a company in his 20s while still pursuing his JD.
Among his hobbies he lists paddle surfing, snowboarding, swimming, running, yoga and surfing.
Shanahan met her second husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, at a yoga retreat in Lake Tahoe and joined her current partner Jacob Strumwasse at Burning Man, where they talked about their shared love of surfing.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) was introduced by his wife Cheryl Hines (left), Curb Your Enthusiasm actress.
Kennedy had gathered supporters Tuesday at the 110-year-old Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland, Shanahan’s hometown, to announce her as his choice.
His wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, introduced him and asked those present to keep those affected by the Baltimore bridge collapse in their minds.
Hines spoke about how her husband, ‘Bobby,’ was bringing together Americans of all political stripes.
“And America is listening and is inspired,” he said.
Kennedy and his wife hugged on stage and then the candidate took the podium for more than 35 minutes before asking Shanahan out.
