Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday was set to tapped Bay Area lawyer and donor Nicole Shanahan as running mate for his long-shot independent presidential race, according to several media reports.
The anti-vaccine activist was expected to pick Shanahan after she helped finance an attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad for his campaign and reportedly made a $4 million donation to his campaign.
Several media outlets reported that Shanahan would be unveiled at a press conference with Kennedy scheduled for 5 pm Eastern time in Oakland, California.
Like RFK Jr., Shanahan has never run for public office. She is the ex-wife of Google founder Sergey Brin.
As an independent candidate, Kennedy faces a tricky fight to gain access to the ballot in most states, many of which require independents to submit a vice presidential candidate’s name too.
Kennedy considered a number of potential running mates, including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is also a prominent anti-vaxxer, former pro wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
The scion of the famed political family has come under increasingly harsh criticism from his famous relatives, who back President Biden’s reelection and warn his candidacy could boost former President Trump.
Kennedy has long held extreme anti-vaxxer views and has questioned the efficacy of many commonly taken vaccines, although he has sought to soften those stances since launching his campaign.
He initially sought to run against Biden in the Democratic primary race, but then shifted gears to run as an independent.
RFK Jr. has scored up to 15% or more in some national polls amid dissatisfaction with the looming rematch between Biden and Trump, although analysts warn that independent candidates usually flop.
