Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, Silicon Valley investor Nicole Shanahan, joined an independent presidential campaign Wednesday night in an expensive effort to gain access to the ballot across the country. He said he donated an additional $8 million. This is to push Kennedy onto the debate stage.
Mr. Shanahan’s new donation, announced at a comedy fundraiser in Nashville, brings his total campaign contributions to $10 million, including a super PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy to help pay for the super show. It does not include the $4 million donated to Bowl ad from earlier this year. Shanahan, a lawyer formerly married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, donated $2 million to Kennedy’s campaign shortly after he named her his running mate in March.
After nodding to the media, Shanahan said, “I think I know what they’re going to say. They’re going to say Bobby only picked me for the money,” drawing laughter from the audience.
Shanahan’s comments came near the end of the four-hour event at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium. She followed performances by comedians including Russell Brand, Rob Schneider and former “Saturday Night Live” performer Jim Breuer. Although many of the performers praised Kennedy, they spent time on stage criticizing the coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the mainstream news media and President Biden.
Mr. Shanahan’s personal wealth has become an important asset to Mr. Kennedy. Campaign finance laws restrict individuals from contributing more than $6,600 to a campaign, but candidates themselves can donate an unlimited amount of their own money.
Her cash is a financial lifeline while their campaigns undertake the costly effort to reach the polls in all 50 states. This would be a difficult and expensive undertaking under any circumstances, but all the more so as Democrats and their allies have vowed to get elected. Legal challenges to initiatives.
Mr. Shanahan said on the same day that Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump agreed to two debates, one on June 27 on CNN and the other on September 10 on ABC News. announced. In doing so, they rejected the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates, which has hosted the event for decades.
Both candidates have sought to keep Kennedy off the stage, with Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon making clear in a letter to the committee: And Donald Trump accepted those terms. ”
But Mr. Kennedy could potentially qualify for the CNN debate, an effort that would actually be better done under the network’s voting rules than under guidelines set by the debate commission. could become easier. Mr. Kennedy needs to show support of at least 15 percent in four national polls approved between March 13 and June 20. Mr. Kennedy has already topped that mark in at least two polls, one by CNN and one by Quinnipiac University. He has an additional five weeks to get more qualifying votes.
To be eligible to participate in the CNN debate, Mr. Kennedy also needs to appear on the ballot in enough states where he has a chance of winning the 270 Electoral College votes needed to elect the president. He is currently on the ballot in five states with a total of 84 electors, but the deadline for him to qualify for the debate will require him to be on the ballot in other states. , the camp has been given an additional five weeks.
After news of Wednesday’s scheduled debate became public, Kennedy criticized both Biden and Trump.
“They are trying to remove me from the debate for fear that I will win,” he wrote. on social media. “Keeping strong candidates out of the debate undermines democracy.”
