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Presidential candidate, Robert F Kennedy Jr. announced lawyer and philanthropist, Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. The announcement came at a campaign rally held in Shanahan's hometown of Oakland, California on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
Talking about the Silicon Valley lawyer, RFK noted she was "battle tested" adding:
"I wanted a partner who... possesses the gift of curiosity; an open, inquiring mind; and the confidence to change even her strongest opinions in the face of conflicting evidence."
Nicole Shanahan is well-known in the Info-tech circles for her work and her relationship with Google co-founder Sergey Brin. She was married to the Russian-American tech mogul for three years before Brin filed for a dissolution of their marriage in 2022 over allegations of having an affair with X owner, Elon Musk.
Nicole Shanahan met Sergey Brin at a yoga festival in 2018
Nicole Shanahan is a Califonia-based attorney who founded the ClearAccessIP, an automated patent management and valuation platform. She is also the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which, according to its website, invests in reproductive longevity and equality, criminal justice reform, and a healthy and livable planet.
Raised in Oakland, the 38-year-old told PEOPLE, described living through her childhood as "times of chaos." Her father struggled with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, making it difficult to find a job. She grew up in a single-parent household, adding:
"My mother raised my brother and I. We were low income and on welfare."
Shanahan married Sergey Brin after meeting at a yoga festival in Lake Tahoe. The former couple share a daughter, Echo, born in 2018. While married, she was also the step-mom to his two children from a previous marriage. Following their divorce, she found love again with the vice president of Lightning Labs, Jacob Strumwasser.
Nicole's association with Politics
Nicole Shanahan has previously donated to Democratic politicians including Hilary Clinton (2016), Joe Biden (2020), and Pete Buttigieg (2020). Per the lawyer, she is progressive through and through. However, on Tuesday she remarked she’s "leaving the Democratic Party," elaborating they have "lost their way."
She supports Kennedy because of his stance on the environment, and vaccines. During her remarks at RFK's rally, Nicole Shanahan called him "The only anti-war candidate" and added:
"I discovered a person who speaks out on issues that, even though they are critically important to human health and welfare, are consistently ignored by our government, and for the first time in a long time, I felt hope for our democracy."
RFK for his part, argued that 38-year-old Shanahan's experience in the tech world and young age will help them connect with the younger generation. During the 2024 Super Bowl, the duo worked together when Shanahan helped fund his presidential ad.
While not an anti-vaxxer, Shanahan has cautioned to be careful about vaccines and their side effects. Increasingly, Kennedy was one of the top spreaders of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines.
Just 1% of voters, according to a January YouGov poll, would support RFK Jr. The United States presidential election is scheduled for November of this year.
