2024-03-28 16:59:37
In addition to Biden and Trump, there is another prominent, independent candidate in the race: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has now nominated his running mate. It could catapult him far forward.
She is young, well-connected and rich – now she wants to step on the toes of the old, white men in the US election campaign: The entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan is running as deputy of the independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – nephew of the legendary ex-President John F. Kennedy – on. Kennedy Jr. introduced Shanahan as his running mate at an appearance in California on Tuesday (local time).
This means that the US election campaign is taking an unexpected turn: Shanahan’s candidacy is likely to reshape the balance of power in the race for the White House, several US media commented. Both established camps, both the Democrats with their candidate Joe Biden and the Republicans with Donald Trump, would face new challenges as a result.
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But who is the woman who is running with Kennedy Jr. – and why does she have the potential to reshuffle the cards?
Shanahan, 38, is a native of Oakland, California, and has a remarkable life story. She grew up in humble circumstances as the daughter of a Chinese immigrant mother and a drug-addicted Irish-German-American father. She later studied law at the renowned Stanford University in California and became successful as a tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley.
She says that she grew up on food stamps and later became rich. Now she wants to help others. “The purpose of wealth is to help those in need. That’s what it’s for,” Shanahan said. “And I would like to bring that back to politics. That is the purpose of privilege,” said the entrepreneur when announcing her candidacy.
The philanthropist, who is also a passionate surfer, has founded a foundation that supports various causes – including advances in reproductive medicine and a healthy planet. Her complex biography makes her interesting for many groups of voters who cannot identify with either Biden or Trump: women, young voters, minorities.
Shanahan donated to Democrats and various social causes for many years. In 2020, she supported President Biden in his candidacy. Of her support for an independent candidate this year, she said: “While I know many Democrats still hold on to their values, I believe they have lost their way in their leadership.” She urged “disillusioned” Democrats and Republicans to support Kennedy’s candidacy for the White House.
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Rumors of affair with Elon Musk
Her private life has also made headlines: Shanahan was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin from 2018 to 2023, and the two have a daughter. The divorce petition allegedly mentioned “irreconcilable differences.” Shanahan is currently in a relationship with entrepreneur Jacob Strumwasser, who works for a Bitcoin software company.
The Wall Street Journal had reported on an alleged affair with Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, which is said to have been a reason for Shanahan’s separation from Brin. Musk rejected this with a tweet and stated that the report was “total crap.” He added: “Sergey and I are friends and we were at a party together last night!”