Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that its vice presidential pick has been selected and the person has accepted the job.
ABC News reports this that Kennedy had made a decision – and informed the person of his intentions – after The New York Times said it Tuesday that the 2024 hopeful had approached both NFL star Aaron Rodgers and ex-wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.
Ventura’s son told ABC on Wednesday that “there has been no formal offer from the Robert Kennedy camp.” “The governor does not comment on political speculation,” Ventura’s son added.
That leaves the door open for a possible Kennedy-Rodgers ticket, although Rodgers has not commented on the news and appears to be in Costa Rica for an Ayahuasca retreat. an online news site that follows NFL news.
Kennedy’s campaign said the announcement will be made on Tuesday, March 26, in Oakland, California.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) said he had chosen his vice presidential pick and the person agreed, leaving the door open for New York Jets player Aaron Rodgers (left), who like Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic
Rodgers, 40, was born in Chico, California and spent part of his childhood in Ukiah, California, Beaverton, Oregon and back in Chico.
He continues to play in the NFL and should start for the New York Jets in the fall. He previously played for the Green Bay Packers.
Like Kennedy, Rodgers is a prominent vaccine skeptic.
Rodgers was engaged to actress Shailene Woodley, a prominent supporter of progressive Senator Bernie Sanders when he ran for president in 2016 and again in 2020.
They broke off their engagement in 2022.
Unlike former President Donald Trump, who may take his time announcing a vice presidential pick, Kennedy will have to name a running mate in the coming weeks to appear as an independent on the general election ballot in some states .
Rodgers choice would be unconventional — like Kennedy’s run to begin with — and could add some star power to the scion’s independent campaign.
Rodgers (left) poses for a photo with Kennedy (right) last March, shortly before Kennedy announced he would run as a Democrat. In October, he changed tactics and announced he would run as an independent in the 2024 general election
Rodgers is expected to play for the New York Jets this fall, which would disrupt the campaign. The general election will take place on Tuesday, November 5
However, picking the NFL star could show voters that Kennedy isn’t serious about winning.
Democrats have already criticized Kennedy for running for president, including members of the candidate’s famous family.
Kennedy began his campaign last year as a Democrat and then announced in October that he would instead run as an independent — meaning he wouldn’t have to compete with President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries to get on the ballot for the general elections to appear.
Instead, his campaign would have to try to get his name on the ballot in every state, a feat that has kept most aspiring presidential candidates from running a third party.
So far, the campaign has only been successful in adding Kennedy’s name to ballots in Utah, but claims volunteers have collected enough signatures to have him appear on ballots in Hawaii, Nevada and New Hampshire as well, ABC reported.
While Hawaii is a solidly Democratic state, Nevada and New Hampshire are considered battlegrounds.
A Kennedy-backed super PAC helped him gain access to ballots in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan — all crucial swing states — but the Democratic National Committee has challenged those moves with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the PAC of an “illegal voting access scheme ‘. ‘
Kennedy has also flirted with the Libertarian Party, which has a permanent place on the ballot.
The Libertarians will select their 2024 presidential ticket at a convention later this spring.
Democrats fear that Kennedy will play a spoiler for Biden, giving Trump his second term.
Polls show Kennedy picking voters from both parties’ candidates — though this would likely hurt Biden more than Trump, in part because Biden trails the former president in some surveys.