To The Moon

Who is she?

In a surprise move, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has selected 38-year-old San Francisco lawyer Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, shaking up the 2024 election landscape.

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Kennedy, 70, announced Shanahan's selection on Tuesday, citing their shared skepticism of the two-party system "controlled by corporations." Shanahan, a lawyer and entrepreneur, has provided significant funding to a super PAC supporting Kennedy's campaign.

The age and gender gap between the two candidates is seen as a strategic move by Kennedy to appeal to younger voters and diversify his ticket. "Nicole is the daughter of immigrants who has overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve the American dream," Kennedy said at the announcement event.

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Shanahan, who was previously aligned with the Democratic Party, said her political beliefs of "serving peace and helping the poor" led her to join Kennedy's independent bid. However, she believes the Democratic Party has "lost its way."

"You can understand why I leaned Democratic. Because that's supposed to be the party of peace, the party of compassion. Many Democrats still believe in those ideals, but unfortunately, as an institution, it has lost its way," Shanahan said in her speech.

"Today, there is only one anti-war candidate, one candidate of peace, and you won't find him in the Democratic or Republican parties. He is an independent. He is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.," she added.

Shanahan also announced that she is leaving the Democratic Party to join Kennedy's independent movement, which she believes comes at a time of deep division in America. "As Bobby Kennedy said, now is the time to focus on our shared values, not our differences," she said.

Shanahan's close ties to Silicon Valley are seen as a major asset for Kennedy's campaign, providing him access to significant financial resources crucial for mounting a viable independent bid.

Born in Oakland to a Chinese immigrant mother with a low-income background, Shanahan's personal story is a testament to the American dream. Her grandfather, a landlord in Macau, held traditional "male-superior" views and only had one son after five daughters. Shanahan's mother, one of those daughters, was raised as a son and later immigrated to the US, becoming an accountant.

Shanahan's father suffered from mental illness, and the family relied on government assistance to survive. This experience, Shanahan says, helped her understand "the purpose of wealth is to help those who need it."

After receiving a UPS scholarship, Shanahan attended the University of Puget Sound, studying Asian studies, economics, and Chinese. She later earned a WTO research certificate in Switzerland and a law degree from Santa Clara University, where she founded her own company, ClearAccessIP.

Shanahan's interests range from patent data analysis to quantum physics, and she has been open about her admiration for figures like fashion designer Coco Chanel, philosopher Ayn Rand, and computer scientist Alan Turing.

In 2013, Shanahan married Bay Area investor Jeremy Asher Kranz, but they divorced in 2015. She later met Google co-founder Sergey Brin at a yoga festival in Lake Tahoe in 2015, and the two began a relationship. They married in secret in 2018 and had a daughter the following year.

Shanahan has been passionate about extending female reproductive lifespan, investing $60 million in 2018 to launch the Brin Research Institute's Center for Female Reproductive Longevity and Equality. In 2019, she established the Bia-Echo Foundation, which focuses on reproductive lifespan and equality, criminal justice reform, and the environment.

However, Shanahan reportedly struggled with the lifestyle of a billionaire's wife and separated from Brin in 2021. Brin filed for divorce in 2022, and the two officially divorced in 2023. The details of Shanahan's divorce settlement are still unclear, but reports suggest the couple owned properties in Malibu, Manhattan, and Silicon Valley, as well as a 240-foot superyacht named Dragonfly.

Shanahan's selection as Kennedy's running mate marks a significant shift in the 2024 presidential race, potentially drawing support from disaffected voters in both major parties. The Kennedy-Shanahan ticket will face an uphill battle against the established Democratic and Republican nominees, but their independent status and diverse backgrounds could resonate with a electorate increasingly disillusioned with the two-party system.

What is the effect to Joe Biden and Donald Trump?

1. Draws support from disaffected voters in both the Democratic and Republican parties, potentially siphoning votes away from the established major party candidates

2. Provides an alternative for voters disillusioned with the two-party system and seeking a more independent, anti-establishment candidate

3. The age and gender diversity of the ticket, with the younger Shanahan as the running mate, may appeal to a broader demographic of voters, especially younger ones

4. The independent status of the ticket could resonate with voters seeking a break from traditional partisan politics, but may also make it difficult to gain traction and media coverage

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