OAKLAND — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday chose Nicole Shanahan as his running mate for his independent bid for the White House, which has unsettled democrats.
Shanahan, 38, is an attorney and philanthropist from California who has never held elected office. She runs the Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to put money toward issues including women’s reproductive science, criminal justice reform and environmental causes.
Kennedy, a former Democrat, made the announcement in Oakland, California.
“Nicole and I left the Democratic Party,” he said. “Our values did not change. The Democratic Party does.”
Without the backing of a major party, Kennedy has the arduous task of securing a place on the ballot, with rules that vary from state to state. He announced his running mate now because half of the states require him to designate someone before requesting access to the ballot.
Before the announcement, during an event held Tuesday in Oakland, Kennedy and his advisers handed out a list of possible contenders, including celebrities who have no political experience.
Two hours before the start of Kennedy’s rally at a performing arts venue, a handful of supporters were lined up outside. Wrecked vehicles, discarded bicycles, tents and all manner of household items filled the sidewalk and a park just outside, a visual reminder of the housing crisis that has plagued California.
Dozens of men in black suits formed a heavy security presence for a candidate who has complained that he has not been granted the protection of the US Secret Service. Kennedy’s campaign has spent millions of dollars on the security company owned by Gavin de Becker, who has been a major donor to his campaign and a campaign committee.
Restless Democrats
Sarah Morris, a Kennedy supporter from Olympia, Washington, traveled to Oakland for the rally, where she noted that Kennedy should choose someone who would “complement him well and balance him.”
“It would be nice to see a vice president who leans a little more to the right than him,” said the 47-year-old real estate agent. “I just hope he chooses a good partner. I hope he doesn’t choose someone who is polarizing.”
One list of speakers includes Angela Stanton-King, a woman pardoned by then-President Donald Trump for her role in an auto theft ring that led to a federal racketeering conviction in 2004 and two years in prison. Also included are Metta World Peace, the NBA player formerly known as Ron Artest, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford Medical School professor who questioned the effectiveness of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and who formed part of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential launch event last year.
Kennedy’s campaign has generated concern among Democrats, as they fear that alternative candidacies could take away support from President Joe Biden and benefit former Republican President Donald Trump. As they head into a rematch of the 2020 elections.
Source: With information from AFP
