Who Is Nicole Shanahan? RFK Jr.’s Possible Running Mate Is A Tech Lawyer Once Married To Google Founder Brin
Zachary FolkMar 17, 2024,
ToplineRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’s possible presidential running mate could be Nicole Shanahan, a tech lawyer with little political experience but a track record of donating large sums to Democratic candidates, a rumor getting major traction after Mediaite discovered a website in their names registered to Kennedy’s senior adviser
Shanahan was married to Google co-founder and billionaire Sergey Brinfrom 2018 through January 2022, which reportedly ended after Shanahan had an affair with fellow billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk(Shanahan and Musk have both denied these allegations).
In 2013, Shanahan founded ClearAccessIP (now known as IPwe), a tech law firm that uses AI to analyze and manage patent portfolios for clients.
Shanahan left the company in 2020 to pursue philanthropy, founding the Bia-Echo Foundation, a private foundation which invests in “reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.”
Shanahan is a longtime donor to Democratic presidential campaigns, giving $2,800 to Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg, and co-hosted a fundraiser for Buttigieg, before donating $25,000 to the Biden Victory Fund after he clinched the nomination.
Shanahan made headlines in February after the New York Times reported she gave $4 million to a Super PAC to pay for the controversial retro-styled Kennedy campaign ad that re-used parts of a John F. Kennedy ad from 1960 and aired during the Super Bowl (Kennedy eventually apologized after his family members took issue with the appropriation).
Shanahan previously gave the maximum $6,600 to Kennedy in 2022, and told the New York Times he aligns with her stances on issues like environmental health and vaccines.
Key BackgroundRumors about Kennedy’s possible running mate circulated, with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former professional wrestler and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura both named as possible contenders. However, Ventura’s son quickly told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune his father “has not been officially asked.” Kennedy also downplayed Rodgers and Ventura, telling donors at a fundraiser on Friday “we have an extraordinary person, I can’t tell you who it is, but it’s really not any of the people they’ve been talking about.” Mediaite released their report on Friday after confirming the sites www.kennedyshanahan.com and pay.kennedyshanahan.com were both registered by the campaign’s senior advisor Link Lipsitz. An anonymous source in the campaign later told the outlet that Kennedy and Shanahan “align on numerous issues,” and the campaign was “looking for a candidate who can help finance the ballot access initiative.” The Kennedy campaign did not confirm or deny the report.
What To Watch For“There has been a lot of speculation in the media about Mr. Kennedy's pick of vice presidential running mate,” the campaign told Forbes in a statement. “The official announcement will be on March 26 in Oakland, Calif.”
Forbes ValuationWe estimated Brin’s net worth at $113.8 billion, making him the 10th wealthiest person in the world. Shanahan sought at least $1 billion from Brin during the divorce proceedings, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, the final terms of the divorce were settled in confidential arbitration. Brin has also donated $23 million to Shanahan’s Bia-Echo Foundation, months after filing for divorce.
TangentAccording to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Shanahan’s alleged affair with Elon Musk caused a major rift between the two billionaires. Brin reportedly told his financial advisors to sell his shares in Tesla, after previously helping rescue the electric vehicle manufacturer during the 2008 financial crisis with a $500,000 investment. Musk, who called the Journal’s reporting “bs,” tried to brush aside the rumors by posting a selfie with Brin at a birthday party in 2022. However, Musk’s biographer Walter Isaacson later reported that Brin was trying to duck out of the frame when the picture was taken. |
