The 2024 election took another surprising twist.
At this point, the only surprises left would be the absence of a surprise.
And this shocking Vice-Presidential pick may have just guaranteed Trump victory in November.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. names a running mate
One of the big wildcards in the 2024 Presidential race is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Independent candidacy.
Will Kennedy being on the ballot siphon more votes from Joe Biden because he’s running to the Left and his last name is still golden among Democrats?
Or would Kennedy’s presence take more from Donald Trump since he campaigned as an anti-establishment outsider opposed to COVID vaccine mandates and other assaults on medical freedom?
Kennedy appeared to give an answer to that question when he named left-wing attorney and activist Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.
“And I found all of those qualities in a woman who grew up right here in Oakland. The daughter of immigrants who overcame every daunting obstacle, and went on to achieve the highest levels of the American dream,” Kennedy said when announcing the pick. “So that is why I’m so proud to introduce to you, the next Vice President of the United States — my fellow lawyer, a brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce, warrior mom, Nicole Shanahan.”
Shanahan as a running mate means Kennedy is running to attract Biden voters
Shanahan said she was leaving the Democrat Party because its support for the war in Ukraine and dependence on Wall Street donors meant they were now the Party of war and the elite.
“So these are two of my political convictions I hold today — to serve peace and to help those in poverty,” Shanahan stated. “So you can understand why I gravitated to the Democratic Party, because that was supposed to be the Party of peace, the Party of compassion. Many Democrats, we still believe in those ideals. But unfortunately as an institution, it has lost its way. There is only one anti-war candidate today, and you won’t find him in the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. He is an Independent, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.”
Kennedy wanted Shanahan on the ticket because she is a mega donor who helped fund a $4 million ad for his Super PAC to run a commercial during this year’s Super Bowl.
Getting ballot access in all 50 states requires the type of serious financial muscle not usually available to Independent candidates.
Shanahan provides that juice.
And Democrats have every reason to fear Kennedy on the ballot after a new set of Bloomberg/Morning Consult swing state polls show Donald Trump leading Biden by larger margins with Kennedy on the ballot.
Bloomberg/MC poll of Trump-Biden-RFK Jr-West-Stein matchup in swing states:
• North Carolina: Trump +6
• Pennsylvania: Trump +6
• Arizona: Trump +6
• Nevada: Trump +6
• Georgia: Trump +7
• Wisconsin: Trump +2
• Michigan: Tie
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NORTH CAROLINA
Trump 45% (+6)
Biden… https://t.co/izCJQg6CyB pic.twitter.com/X75HVDsXn3— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 26, 2024
