Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering Aaron Rodgers for a 2024 running mate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is having conversations with vice presidential candidates as he gets closer to announcing his running mate for an independent presidential bid.
Kennedy told The New York Times that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura are at the top of his list. Stefanie Spear, a campaign spokesperson, confirmed the Times report and said there are other names on Kennedy's short list.
Kennedy's campaign said Wednesday that he will announce his running mate on March 26 at a rally in Oakland, California. The campaign did not elaborate further on Kennedy's decision process.
Kennedy, a scion of one of the nation's most prominent political families, has focused on getting access to the ballot, an expensive and time-consuming process that he has said will require him to collect more than a million signatures in a state-by-state effort.
Many states require independent candidates to name a running mate before they can seek access to the ballot, a factor driving the early push for Kennedy to make a pick. Major party candidates generally don't pick vice presidential nominees until closer to their summer conventions.
Kennedy is a lawyer and environmental activist who has become a leading figure in the movement that rejects the scientific consensus around vaccines and a vocal critic of the public health establishment.
After originally running as a Democrat, he refocused his efforts around an independent campaign last year, spooking loyalists of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who worry he'll pick up supporters who would otherwise back one of the major party candidates.
Kennedy's father was attorney general for the candidate's uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
Candidates from outside the Republican and Democratic parties rarely make a splash, if they can make the ballot to begin with. But third-party candidates don’t usually carry a famous last name like Kennedy’s, or his existing network of supporters
Rodgers, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback who now plays for the New York Jets, shares Kennedy's distrust of vaccine mandates and, like Kennedy, is a fixture on anti-establishment podcasts. Ventura, a former professional wrestler, shocked observers when he won the race for Minnesota governor as an independent candidate in 1998.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
-
Former All-Pro running back David Johnson retires after 8 seasons in the NFL
Will Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets live up to prime-time scheduling hype?
Why Chiefs' Harrison Butker missed the mark in commencement speech
-
2024 NFL schedule release: Win-loss predictions, analysis for every team
2024 NFL division predictions: Winners for each AFC and NFC division
2024 NFL strength of schedule: Ranking every team's slate
-
Inside the NFL schedule puzzle: Byes, Christmas, overseas trips and Taylor Swift
2025 Super Bowl LIX odds: Arizona Cardinals on the move after schedule release
Julian Edelman reveals backstage tension between Kraft, Belichick at Brady roast
Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. sued by apparel manufacturer Fanatics for breach of contract
-
Former All-Pro running back David Johnson retires after 8 seasons in the NFL
Will Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets live up to prime-time scheduling hype?
Why Chiefs' Harrison Butker missed the mark in commencement speech
-
2024 NFL schedule release: Win-loss predictions, analysis for every team
2024 NFL division predictions: Winners for each AFC and NFC division
2024 NFL strength of schedule: Ranking every team's slate
-
Inside the NFL schedule puzzle: Byes, Christmas, overseas trips and Taylor Swift
2025 Super Bowl LIX odds: Arizona Cardinals on the move after schedule release
Julian Edelman reveals backstage tension between Kraft, Belichick at Brady roast