RFK Jr. running mate, Nicole Shanahan, throws an $8 million lifeline to campaign

Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate in his long-shot independent bid for president, gave a boost to the campaign via an $8 million donation.

“This isn’t just about funding our own campaign,” Shanahan said in a Thursday statement. “We want to liberate presidential elections from the grip of the existing two-party duopoly, and revitalize American democracy.” 

The donation will go towards getting the Kennedy name on the ballot, with the campaign only officially in the running in six states. The campaign is far below the threshold of eligibility in states totaling at least half of the electoral college vote needed to participate in the upcoming presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, much to Kennedy’s chagrin.

Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin, sparked controversy this year, parroting anti-vaccine talking points on X. Kennedy doubled down on his vice presidential nominee’s comments when pressed in a recent interview with Bill Maher, himself an avowed vaccine skeptic.

The vice presidential candidate has spouted conspiracy theories, including that cell phones release poisonous “electromagnetic pollution,” which could hurt the Kennedy campaign, but her deep pockets may have been a factor in Kennedy’s pick.

Shanahan and Kennedy, who lag far behind Biden and Trump in the polls, had around $5.1 million in cash on hand per an April filing. The figure represents a fraction of the Biden campaign’s $192 million and the Trump campaign’s $93.1 million in cash on hand, per Axios and Reuters.

Shanahan, who purchased a $4 million dollar Super Bowl ad for Kennedy before she joined the ticket, announced the donation at a Wednesday event featuring several comedians, with Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, notably absent as she reportedly doesn’t want to get too involved in the campaign.