OAKLAND, Calif. -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday to be his vice presidential pick, adding a wealthy but nationally unknown figure to his independent White House bid that's trying to appeal to voters disaffected by a rematch of the 2020 election.
Shanahan, 38, is a California lawyer and philanthropist who's never held elected office. She leads Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to direct money toward issues including women's reproductive science, criminal justice reform and environmental causes.
Kennedy, a former Democrat, made the announcement in Oakland, California, where Shanahan was raised in an impoverished family.
"Nicole and I both left the Democratic Party," he said. "Our values didn't change. The Democratic Party did."
Kennedy's campaign has caught the attention of Democrats, who are fighting third-party options that could draw support from President Joe Biden and help former President Donald Trump. But allies for both Biden and Trump attacked Kennedy and Shanahan on Tuesday, reflecting the uncertainty about how Americans might respond to an independent ticket that has little chance of winning Electoral College votes but could draw votes across the spectrum.
Without the backing of a party, Kennedy faces an arduous task to get on the ballot, with varying rules across the 50 states. He's picking a running mate now because about half of the states require him to designate one before he can apply for ballot access.
Kennedy has secured access to the ballot in Utah. He and an allied super PAC, American Values 2024, say they've collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including swing states Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, but election officials there have not yet signed off.
In Nevada, Democratic Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a March 7 letter to independent candidates that they must nominate a vice presidential candidate before collecting signatures. The letter came days after Kennedy's campaign announced he'd collected enough signatures in the state.
Kennedy acknowledged the hurdles he faces and urged Americans to "take a risk" and vote for him, saying the biggest obstacle to his campaign is the belief that he can't win.
"If Nicole and I can get Americans to refuse to vote from fear, we're going to be in the White House in November," he said.
In a nearly 30-minute speech introducing herself to Kennedy supporters, Shanahan echoed the critique at the heart of Kennedy's campaign -- that both major parties, the media and the U.S. government are beholden to greedy profiteers. She also embraced his discredited anti-vaccine message.
"It wasn't until I met Bobby and people supporting him that I felt any hope in the outcome of this election," Shanahan said.
Formerly married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Shanahan is deeply enmeshed in the Silicon Valley technology culture that Kennedy frequently critiques.
But he said her connections would help her confront the tech industry's power and influence, and her knowledge of artificial intelligence could steer the government to nurture transformative technologies.
Dawn Mitchell, a 52-year-old retired Army reservist and U.S. Postal Service worker from Chesapeake, Virginia, said she was vacationing in Los Angeles when she heard Kennedy would be appearing in Oakland and decided to make the six-hour drive to hear him and Shanahan.
"I didn't really know her before, but just listening to her and listening to her passion about helping children and the chronic disease epidemic and regenerative farming, I'm pretty impressed by her," she said.
Speakers who entertained the crowd before Kennedy took the stage included Angela Stanton-King, a woman pardoned by then-President Donald Trump for her role in a car theft ring that led to a 2004 federal conspiracy conviction and two years in prison; Metta World Peace, the NBA all-star player formerly known as Ron Artest; and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford Medical School professor who questioned the efficacy of lockdowns during the covid-19 pandemic and was part of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential launch event last year.
From left, to right, Jacob Strumwasser, Nicole Shanahan, Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines stand together on stage during a campaign event, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
FILE - Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks during a campaign event at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. right, is joined on the stage by his wife Cheryl Hines during a campaign event, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gather during a campaign event, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, stands on the stage before a campaign event where he is expected to announce a running mate, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
A stage is set at a campaign event for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Kennedy is expected to announce a running mate. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Buttons are displayed during a campaign event for Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gather during a campaign event, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gather during a campaign event, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)