RFK Jr.’s Running Mate Nicole Shanahan Donates Millions as They Weigh Exit
(Bloomberg) -- Vice presidential hopeful Nicole Shanahan has continued to pour millions into her campaign with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. even as the duo consider exiting the race.
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Shanahan donated another $2.5 million — plus a few hundred thousand dollars of in-kind travel-related contributions — to the Kennedy campaign in July, an updated election finance filing shows. She also received a refund of $925,000 in the same campaign period.
The new cash infusion brings Shanahan’s self-funding totals to about $15 million, which would place the philanthropist running mate as one of the top self-funders in the election season behind Total Wine magnate David Trone and former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy.
Shanahan, 38, a former Silicon Valley lawyer and ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has reached into her deep pockets to help fund the campaign, which is mounting a third-party challenge and trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states.
Kennedy’s campaign disclosed in Tuesday’s filing that it had $3.9 million in cash on hand as of July 31, but nearly $3.5 million in debt owed by the committee. Shanahan reportedly has a net worth of more than $1 billion following her divorce settlement with Brin, who is currently the world’s ninth-richest person with a $142 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Even with Shanahan’s funding, the Kennedy ticket is considering its options for staying in the race. In a podcast interview posted Tuesday, Shanahan said they’re weighing whether to drop out and join forces with former President Donald Trump’s campaign or continue on with hopes of a forming a new third party that could receive future public funding.
“It’s not an easy decision,” she said.
In a post on X, Kennedy, 70, said: “As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”
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