‘Bobby may play nice; I won’t’: RFK Jr.’s former running mate threatens senators with primaries

Nicole Shanahan, the philanthropist who was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate last year, warned senators that a vote against his nomination as Health and Human Services secretary will result in a campaign to get them booted from office.

“While Bobby may be willing to play nice, I won’t if you vote against him,” Shanahan said in a video posted to X Tuesday evening. “I will personally fund challengers to primary you in your next election, and I will enlist hundreds of thousands to join me.”

Shanahan name-dropped both Democratic and Republican senators in her message, including Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who voted against Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Defense secretary.

She also called out Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, saying she “cut big checks” to get the Georgia senators elected and will be watching their “votes very closely.”

Her message also tasked her followers to call and urge their senators to confirm Kennedy.

Shanahan was the founder of a patent management firm. Her wealth reportedly stems from her marriage to billionaire Google co-founder Serget Brin and the pair divorced in 2022.

She became Kennedy’s running mate for his failed independent presidential bid after funneling millions into a pro-Kennedy Super PAC that helped fund a February Super Bowl advertisement last year. In the past, she has donated to notable Democratic politicians like Hillary Clinton in 2016 and former President Joe Biden in 2020.

Kennedy, who is appearing before the Senate Finance Committee — with his confirmation uncertain — has faced overwhelming scrutiny over his anti-vaccine history and other unconventional health views since announced as Trump’s health secretary pick. His cousin, Caroline Kennedy, also recently referred to him as a “predator.”

Topics

5 takeaways from RFK Jr.’s first Senate hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday to vie for his confirmation as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy is one of Trump’s ...
The Hill - 19h
Latest news on RFK Jr. Senate confirmation hearing

The Senate Finance Committee is holding Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s first confirmation hearing for the top job at the Department of Health and Human Services. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Céline ...
CBS News - 1d
RFK Jr. going before Senate for confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face questions from senators Wednesday during a confirmation hearing to become secretary of Health and Human Services. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin ...
CBS News - 1d
Former RFK Jr. running mate threatens to primary senators who vote against nomination

Nicole Shanahan, the former running mate to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., threatened to primary senators if they dared to vote against Kennedy's nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human ...
The Hill - 1d
Caroline Kennedy tells senators RFK Jr. is a 'predator'

Caroline Kennedy, former President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, told senators in a letter that her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human ...
The Hill - 1d
5 key health topics to watch at RFK Jr.'s Senate confirmation hearings

On Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to appear before the Senate Finance Committee for the first of two confirmation hearings as Trump’s nominee for health secretary.
NBC News - 2d
Anti-RFK Jr. ads target GOP senators

Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story Anti-RFK Jr. ads target GOP senators A progressive nonprofit is ramping up its campaign to convince senators ...
The Hill - 5d
Hegseth plays nice

The Defense Department pick backtracked on past positions and gave a broad denial of the sexual assault allegations against him.
Politico - Jan. 14
GOP senator: RFK Jr. 'wrong' on vaccinations

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a medical doctor, said President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is “wrong” about vaccinations. In an interview on ...
The Hill - Jan. 6