Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading

What to know about Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.'s VP pick

Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tapped Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday as his running mate for his independent presidential ticket.

Why it matters: Shanahan, a 38-year-old California-based attorney and the former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, partially funded Kennedy's extraordinarily expensive Super Bowl ad in February.


Catch up quick: Mediaite first reported that Kennedy was set to pick Shanahan for the role. The outlet cited a domain registered earlier in March by Kennedy's senior advisor Link Lipsitz under www.kennedyshanahan.com.

  • Multiple names, including NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, had been floated as potential VP choices.
  • Kennedy was on a tighter timeline for selecting his VP in order to appear on the ballot as an independent presidential hopeful.

Prior to the announcement, his campaign director and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy said Shanahan's "work on behalf of honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture and children's and maternal health reflects many of our country's most urgent needs," per a post on X.

Who is Shanahan?

Shanahan, founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, graduated from the University of Puget Sound and Santa Clara University School of Law, according to People.

  • Shanahan married Brin in 2018, though the two later divorced. She "committed" to her partner Jacob Strumwasser at a ceremony in July 2023.
  • In 2013, she started patent analytics company ClearAccessIP, which IPwe acquired in 2020.

Democratic donations

  • Shanahan has donated to Democratic presidential campaigns in years past, including for Pete Buttigieg and Marianne Williamson, per Forbes.
  • She also contributed $25,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.
  • Shanahan also gave a maximum contribution of $6,600 to Kennedy's campaign in May 2023 while he was running on the Democratic ticket, per The New York Times.

Funding Kennedy's Super Bowl ad

  • Shanahan contributed $4 million and creative guidance to the American Values super PAC, which was responsible for Kennedy's Super Bowl ad, according to the NYT.
  • The $7 million ad garnered mixed reviews, including criticism from Kennedy's own family.
  • The independent candidate apologized to his family for the 30-second piece, which mirrored a 1960 presidential campaign ad for his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.

Zoom out: Regardless of his VP pick, Kennedy is running a long-shot presidential run as he faces former President Trump and President Biden — the respective GOP and Democratic presumptive nominees.

  • Kennedy's switch to an independent ticket this past October also created fear among Democrats that it could help Trump defeat Biden in November.
  • Representatives for Shanahan did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

Go deeper: RFK Jr. selects Nicole Shanahan as running mate for independent bid

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.