Eric Gay/AP
Nicole Shanahan arrives at her campaign destination in Austin, Texas on May 13, 2024.
CNN
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Nicole Shanahan, running mate of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., donated $8 million to his campaign to support voting efforts in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The wealthy Silicon Valley patent attorney announced the donation Wednesday night during a comedy show fundraiser in Nashville. According to audio of the event shared with CNN, Shanahan laughed off suggestions that “Bobby only picked her for the money” and insisted in November that the nation’s capital would give Americans additional options. . She also said she was not Kennedy’s first choice.
“Hey, I’m third right now, but I can win. I’m proof of that,” Shanahan said with a laugh. “I was third behind Aaron Rodgers and Hulk Hogan.”
The Kennedy campaign said in a statement Thursday that the additional $8 million Shanahan provided in April will be used to fully pay for ballot access efforts in 50 states.
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, Kennedy’s campaign manager, said in a statement: “The cost and time and resources involved in accessing the ballot are among the establishment’s most powerful cudgel against independent political thought. There is,” he said. “Americans demand and will replace the broken status quo. We are excited to deploy these funds and get them across the finish line in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. .”
Shanahan, a former Democrat whom Kennedy nominated as his running mate in March, said in the same statement that the money would be used by his campaign to fight “Democratic and Republican dominance in our system.” He said it was designed to help.
“This is not just about funding our own campaigns,” she said. “We want to free presidential elections from the monopolistic grip of the existing two-party system and revitalize American democracy.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy is determined to qualify for next month’s CNN presidential debate. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump accepted CNN’s invitation to the debate, subject to meeting eligibility requirements set by CNN.
“CNN is still letting us try to qualify. And we all know Bobby is going to win big if that happens,” Shanahan said Wednesday to a Nashville crowd. told.
To qualify for CNN’s June 27 debate, a candidate must appear on the ballot in enough states to win at least 270 electoral votes and meet CNN’s voting criteria in four separate national polls. must receive at least 15% support. Kennedy has received at least 15% in two qualifying polls so far, is currently on the ballot in six states, and is currently eligible to receive 89 Electoral College votes. The Kennedy campaign says it has collected enough signatures to get the vote on the ballot in eight other states.
Shanahan, a wealthy investor, has donated $2 million to the Kennedy campaign and $4 million to the pro-Kennedy super PAC American Values 2024 to help fund Super Bowl TV ads. He said he donated.
CNN’s David Wright and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
