Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s VP pick Nicole Shanahan is a leftist criminal justice advocate. Shanahan has also donated thousands of dollars to Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Shanahan has been recognized for her endorsement of leftist-aligned “criminal justice” initiatives. In 2021 San Francisco Magazine highlighted her notable contribution to Los Angeles County’s Measure J, designed to amend “the County charter, requiring at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be reinvested into community development and alternatives to incarceration.” It also prohibited “using funds for carceral systems and law enforcement agencies.”
“Another important area of investment—criminal justice reform—is one that Shanahan has been devoted to for years, long before the Black Lives Matter movement,” reads the San Francisco Magazine profile. “I’m happy that I could be a major donor for Measure J in Los Angeles County, which was voted in and will be rerouting some of the law enforcement budget toward mental and social support services,” Shanahan told the magazine.
In addition to her support of “criminal justice” initiatives, Shanahan gave a $30,000 donation to President Biden’s 2020 campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data. She also made contributions to Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue and the Democratic National Committee.
Despite Shanahan’s far-left leanings, recent polls appear to indicate Kennedy’s campaign may in fact be benefiting former President Donald Trump rather than Biden. A recent Morning Consult survey shows Trump leading in several key swing states with Kennedy included in the race, and the Biden campaign is reportedly ‘panicking‘ over Kennedy’s participation in the presidential race.