Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is calling on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate to step aside, telling her that he’s worried the independent candidate could lead to former President Donald Trump beating President Joe Biden in November’s presidential election race.
Ms. Shanahan, a lawyer, said that she recently spoke to Mr. Khanna. He had congratulated her on being named Mr. Kennedy’s running mate and encouraged her to run, she said.
“Clearly, Ro has changed his stance based on pressure from the party. I hope he understands how anti-democratic it is to ask someone to step down from a race that empowers the American public to make their own decisions,” Ms. Shanahan wrote on the social media platform X. “I am very disappointed that he has been pressured into issuing this letter to me publicly. He could have called me privately. He has my direct line.”
Mr. Khanna responded to the criticism, writing, “No one is saying Nicole doesn’t have the right to run, but it is democratic to try to persuade her that she should support Biden instead given [the] stakes.”
Mr. Kennedy said in a statement that he was grateful for Ms. Shanahan. “I have always admired Ro Khanna. His flip flop here is disappointing. The party has [the] power to bludgeon men of character into waivering [sic],” he said.
She has donated millions to Mr. Kennedy’s campaign, according to financial filings, and has also donated in the past to Mr. Khanna and President Biden.
Mr. Kennedy originally launched his presidential bid as a Democrat but became an independent after his campaign was stifled within the Democratic Party, which has largely backed President Biden’s re-election effort.
Ms. Shanahan said in March she was a “disillusioned Democrat” and was leaving the party. “I do believe they’ve lost their way in their leadership,” she said at the time. “I worry for the party’s overwhelming interest in elitism ... and winning at all costs. And I worry that they do it even if that means turning a blind eye on the issues that they all know to be true.”
She also said the Republican Party is letting people down. Ms. Shanahan said she’s spoken to members of Congress from both parties about issues like sustainable farming but “all I’ve gotten are vague promises that never amount to real change.”
Ms. Shanahan, the ex-wife of one of Google’s founders, has spent millions on various causes, including research into farming and autism.
Ms. Shanahan’s views mean she should be focused on supporting President Biden, not helping Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Khanna argued.
“Given the stakes, given her own view and regenerative agriculture, on climate on reproductive rights, how could she aid [a] candidacy that’s simply going to help reelect Donald Trump? And I want to make the case for her that she'd be better served supporting Joe Biden,” he said during an appearance on CNN.
He added later that he thinks President Biden can still win the election but “the reality is that any third party candidates help Donald Trump.”
