RFK Jr picks Sergey Brin's ex, major Democrat donor Nicole Shanahan as running mate

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr is expected to announce on Tuesday his pick for a running mate.

Two people close to the campaign told the New York Times that Kennedy’s pick for vice president would be be Nicole Shanahan, a Silicon Valley lawyer and investor who the two added was a late favorite in Kenendy’s search for a running mate that spanned over a half dozen prospective candidates. He announced it later on Tuesday.

Shanahan, 38, became publicly associated with Kennedy’s campaign after she helped pay for a Super Bowl ad in support of the independent candidate.

Shanahan was once married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and has a history of donating to Democrat campaigns, including Biden’s 2020 run as well as Kennedy’s campaign when he was still running as a Democrat candidate.

According to a report by the LA Times, Shanahan donated $150,025 to Gascon’s campaign in 2020, with Gascon ultimately winning the Los Angeles County district attorney race against incumbent Jackie Lacey. 

A 2021 report from San Francisco Magazine revealed that Shanahan was also a major proponent of Measure J in Los Angeles County. Gascon faced a recall effort in 2022 which failed after the campaign looking to oust the Soros-backed DA did not get enough valid signatures.

The Soros-backed DA has repeatedly come under fire for being soft on crime, pushing sweeping reforms to the criminal justice system in the city after assuming office that included a "zero-bail" policy. 

The county LA County’s Chief Executive Office stated that the measure "no less than ten percent of the County’s locally generated unrestricted funding to address the disproportionate impact of racial injustice through community investments such as youth development, job training, small business development, supportive housing services and alternatives to incarceration." It was passed by voters in November of 2020.

"I’m happy that I could be a major donor for Measure J in Los Angeles County, which was voted in and will be rerouting some of the law enforcement budget toward mental and social support services," Shanahan told the magazine at the time, adding that such services could have de-escalated the scene during the arrest of George Floyd and possibly saved his life.