Nicole Shanahan, a Bay Area attorney, financed a pro-Kennedy super PAC’s ad for the independent presidential candidate during the Super Bowl.Jordan Strauss/Associated PressIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that he had selected wealthy Bay Area attorney and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan as his vice-presidential running mate.Shanahan, the 38-year-old daughter of a Chinese immigrant who grew up in Oakland, California, and was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is a major Kennedy backer. She gave $4 million to a pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, to air the retro-style Super Bowl ad that conjured the 1960 campaign of Kennedy’s uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.Advertisement
Kennedy, an environmental attorney, anti-vaccine advocate and conspiracy theorist, considered a variety of unconventional candidates to serve as his running mate. Among the names in the mix: the rapper “Killer Mike” Render, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and TV host Mike Rowe, Kennedy told the San Francisco-based radio station KCBS on Monday morning.Kennedy told “The State of California” host Doug Sovern that Shanahan stood out because of her youth, athleticism and commitment to “unraveling the war machine and the corporate capture” of the federal government.Shanahan founded ClearAccessIP, a company that aims to help entrepreneurs develop and manage patents, and sold it for an undisclosed amount in 2020. In 2019, Shanahan launched the Bia-Echo Foundation to distribute $100 million that she is donating to programs that fight climate change, reform the criminal justice system and help women become pregnant later in life. Advertisement
Shanahan identifies with Kennedy’s focus on the links between environmental pollution and public health problems, she told The New York Times in a February interview following the Super Bowl ad.“I do think we have an environmental health crisis in this country,” she said. “I do believe Americans deserve clean water. And we can’t achieve that in the current climate of politics.”The attorney also shares some of Kennedy’s skepticism of vaccines.“I do wonder about vaccine injuries,” she told the Times. “I think there needs to be a space to have these conversations.”Through his nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy has spread fears about vaccine side effects that a broad array of experts say are unfounded. Children’s Health Defense has fueled doubts about the health risks of vaccinations for childhood diseases like measles, though these shots have been safely used for decades.Kennedy has specifically supported the debunked theory that vaccines are linked to autism. In a speech about that supposed link in 2015, he compared the United States’ vaccination regime to “a Holocaust,” though he later apologized. Advertisement
Prior to this election cycle, Shanahan was a major donor to Democratic presidential candidates, including President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.She has also given to a number of Democratic congressional candidates, such as Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents key parts of Silicon Valley. Shanahan is still supporting Khanna, giving him the maximum allowable amount this cycle.This story is developing. Please return for updates.Support HuffPostOur 2024 Coverage Needs YouYour Loyalty Means The World To UsAt HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.Dear HuffPost ReaderThank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?Dear HuffPost ReaderThank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we h …
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Kennedy, an environmental attorney, anti-vaccine advocate and conspiracy theorist, considered a variety of unconventional candidates to serve as his running mate. Among the names in the mix: the rapper “Killer Mike” Render, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and TV host Mike Rowe, Kennedy told the San Francisco-based radio station KCBS on Monday morning.Kennedy told “The State of California” host Doug Sovern that Shanahan stood out because of her youth, athleticism and commitment to “unraveling the war machine and the corporate capture” of the federal government.Shanahan founded ClearAccessIP, a company that aims to help entrepreneurs develop and manage patents, and sold it for an undisclosed amount in 2020. In 2019, Shanahan launched the Bia-Echo Foundation to distribute $100 million that she is donating to programs that fight climate change, reform the criminal justice system and help women become pregnant later in life. Advertisement
Shanahan identifies with Kennedy’s focus on the links between environmental pollution and public health problems, she told The New York Times in a February interview following the Super Bowl ad.“I do think we have an environmental health crisis in this country,” she said. “I do believe Americans deserve clean water. And we can’t achieve that in the current climate of politics.”The attorney also shares some of Kennedy’s skepticism of vaccines.“I do wonder about vaccine injuries,” she told the Times. “I think there needs to be a space to have these conversations.”Through his nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy has spread fears about vaccine side effects that a broad array of experts say are unfounded. Children’s Health Defense has fueled doubts about the health risks of vaccinations for childhood diseases like measles, though these shots have been safely used for decades.Kennedy has specifically supported the debunked theory that vaccines are linked to autism. In a speech about that supposed link in 2015, he compared the United States’ vaccination regime to “a Holocaust,” though he later apologized. Advertisement
Prior to this election cycle, Shanahan was a major donor to Democratic presidential candidates, including President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.She has also given to a number of Democratic congressional candidates, such as Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents key parts of Silicon Valley. Shanahan is still supporting Khanna, giving him the maximum allowable amount this cycle.This story is developing. Please return for updates.Support HuffPostOur 2024 Coverage Needs YouYour Loyalty Means The World To UsAt HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.Dear HuffPost ReaderThank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?Dear HuffPost ReaderThank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we h …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]