- Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy announced Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan would be his vice presidential choice
- The 38-year-old millionaire lawyer joined 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 is his running mate.
In her hometown of Oakland, California, Kennedy teased who he had chosen before bringing Shanahan onstage — 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.’
When mentioning Shanahan, the independent hopeful said her most important characteristic was her age – 38 – because he wanted a younger generation represented on his 2024 ticket.
Prior to the announcement, a wide range of characters were mentioned as part of the veepstakes.
New York Jets player Aaron Rodgers, rapper Killer Mike, ex-wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, former Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang and ex-Rep. 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, a Republican candidate for Senate in New York, were all mentioned.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that Nicole Shanahan was his vice presidential pick
Supporters of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cheer for his vice presidential announcement Tuesday morning in Oakland, California
On Tuesday it was widely expected to be Shanahan, while RFK Jr. teased that he wanted to add a young, fresh face to his ticket.
‘We were looking for someone who could represent young people. Millennials and Gen 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 poor leadership we’ve had in the past.”
“You know, they’re the ones paying the debt. They are the ones who suffer from chronic illness. And so I really wanted someone who was young. I think Nicole is 38 years old,” he teased. ‘I wanted someone who is super smart. I wanted an athlete who can inspire Americans to get healthy again.”
Shanahan lived up to expectations: She earned a law degree and founded a company in her 20s while still pursuing her law degree.
Her hobbies include paddle boarding, snowboarding, swimming, running, yoga and surfing.
Shanahan met her second husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, at a yoga retreat in Lake Tahoe and bonded with her current partner Jacob Strumwasse at Burning Man, where they discussed their shared love of surfing.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) was introduced by his wife Cheryl Hines (left), an actress on Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kennedy had gathered supporters Tuesday at the 110-year-old Henry J. Kaiser Center in Shanahan’s hometown of Oakland to announce her as his choice.
His wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, introduced him and asked those in attendance to keep those affected by the Baltimore Bridge collapse in their thoughts.
Hines talked about how her husband, “Bobby,” brought Americans of all political backgrounds together.
“And America is listening and inspired,” she said.
Kennedy and his wife hugged on stage and then the candidate stood on stage for more than 35 minutes before inviting Shanahan to come out.