Kennedy names running mate for presidential campaign as independent

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on Tuesday introduced Nicole Shanahan as someone who shared his passion for soil conservation and clean, healthy food. Kennedy began the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat before switching to an independent presidential bid. Before introducing Shanahan, he said Americans needed to “sit through the anger” and listen to one another.

Who is Shanahan? She is a California patent lawyer and founder of tech firm ClearAccessIP. Kennedy described her as an athlete “with a spiritual dimension” who loves the United States. She provided an estimated $4 million for a roughly $6 million Super Bowl advertisement last month, for which Kennedy later apologized. The ad compared him to his uncle, the late President John F. Kennedy.

What did Shanahan have to say? She discussed her mother’s story of emigrating from China and how her father struggled with alcoholism and depression. She said after an impoverished childhood, she gathered substantial wealth as an adult.

She discussed her background as an “anti-war activist” during the Iraq war. Referring to herself as a former Democrat, she said the Democratic Party lost its way by not being willing to oppose war. She said that RFK Jr. is the only anti-war candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

She said that the two shared a passion for health issues. She blamed food, environment, and medicine for creating a “chronic disease epidemic” in the United States.

Dig deeper: Read Adam M. Carrington’s column in WORLD Opinions about what third parties are good for.