Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about his running mate at a campaign event in Dallas last month. Kennedy couldn’t say “exactly what her schedule is.”
Kennedy added that his running mate — attorney-turned-philanthropist Nicole Shanahan — had spent “three or four days at the border.” Meanwhile, two campaign advisers told the Washington Post that Shanahan had spent only one day there.
Shanahan appears disconnected from the Kennedy campaign’s day-to-day operations… and she’s stirred questions about whether she fits in the independent outsider’s campaign.
Shanahan has become press-shy ever since the 2022 rumors about an affair with tech billionaire Elon Musk. At the time, Shanahan was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a friend to Musk.
“I’m told you’re not supposed to read the comments and tweets, but I did… Outlets I noticed were really trying to figure out who I was and how someone like me could end up in a situation like this,” Shanahan told People last year.
“I tried to remain objective and I tried to remain academic as much as possible, but I could not also deny the fact that it hurt… It hurt significantly.”
Both Shanahan and Musk have denied any affair.
The Kennedy campaign can attribute some of this disconnect to Shanahan’s press-shyness… but not all of it.
On her podcast, Shanahan has talked about a contingent election — an election ending in no candidate receiving 270 electoral votes — being a path for RFK, Jr.’s campaign to take the White House.
In a contingent election, the House of Representatives would decide the outcome. Each state’s delegation would cast one vote, and most delegations would probably vote for former President Donald Trump.
This has happened before in American history. In 1824, no candidate received a majority in the Electoral College, and then the House gave the election to John Quincy Adams.
“As I look at this model, I think this is a very good thing,” Shanahan told Kennedy on her podcast.
Meanwhile, the Kennedy campaign has tried to distance itself from allegations of forcing a contingent election. In April, the campaign fired Rita Palma, a staffer known for describing a contingent election as her end goal. The campaign fired Palma just days after her viral video about the subject.
Democrats, angry that RFK, Jr. may siphon support from President Joe Biden, have accused Kennedy of choosing Shananhan just to access her deep pockets.
“From the moment she was named VP, it’s clear that Nicole Shanahan was chosen for one reason and one reason alone: her checkbook,” D.N.C. adviser Lis Smith told the media.
“She’s out of her depth and out of step with him on rhetoric and issue positions. Money might help buy ballot access, but it doesn’t buy you a compatible running mate.”
Even before joining Kennedy’s campaign, Shanahan gave it millions of dollars, and funded a 30-second advertisement during the Super Bowl.