RFK Jr. running mate Nicole Shanahan makes push in Kittery to get on Maine ballot
KITTERY, Maine — Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vice presidential running mate, told a crowd of about 70 people at the Star Theatre Thursday the third-party campaign is “ahead of schedule” in getting on ballots nationwide.
“Seeing the people that have come together to work for this campaign are some of the most incredible people I've had the pleasure of getting to know: the energy, the motivation, the ability to overcome obstacles,” Shanahan said, adding that the campaign recently submitted 130,000 signatures to the New York State Board of Elections to appear on the ballot.
The rally in Kittery was part of a three-event series to introduce Maine voters to Kennedy and gather signatures as he continues to try to appear on state ballots. Kennedy is not currently on Maine’s ballot. Ballot access petitions were available at the event.
“This (Maine) is a state that Bobby Kennedy is going to win in November,” Shanahan said.
The Kittery rally was titled “Who is Bobby Kennedy?” Shanahan made a speech, answered pre-written questions from the audience, and shook hands with attendees. The rally showed a couple of short films about Kennedy and Shanahan.
Shanahan criticizes mainstream media
Shanahan began her speech telling the crowd that while she once thought that Tucker Carlson was the bad guy, she now realizes they are “so on the same page.”
“We have left the establishment thinking, once and for all,” Shanahan said.
More: Who is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr? Why his candidacy matters in the 2024 presidential election
The theme throughout much of the rally was how Kennedy differs from mainstream candidates and how he is targeted by the media.
“I think Bobby is in the brunt of some of the worst PR media messaging ever in the history of this country and they should all be ashamed of themselves,” Shanahan said, calling out what she saw as “hit pieces” by the New York Times and The Washington Post. “June is going to be ugly. It’s going to feel ugly. But you know what is more powerful than ugliness? All of us here.”
Shanahan also spoke against the proposed offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine. Having visited Maine lobstermen and members of the Maine Coast Fisherman’s Association earlier in the day, she said that the offshore wind farms would disrupt whale migration, fish populations, and risk pollution, and that efforts in climate change should come from the communities.
Mixed thoughts from Kennedy supporters on Trump verdict
Kennedy supporters expressed mixed feelings about what former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the hush money case means for RFK Jr.’s chances.
Mylissa Kapela, a volunteer for the Kennedy campaign in Maine, said while the verdict was “awful,” she thinks it could potentially help Kennedy if it turns people off of Trump. But Sarah Wilkinson, the Kennedy campaign lead in New Hampshire, thinks it’s more likely to help the former president, saying that voters who would have voted for Kennedy may vote for Trump to get back at Democrats.
Who is Nicole Shanahan?
On March 26, Kennedy announced Shanahan as his vice-presidential pick in Oakland, California, Shanahan’s hometown.
Shanahan is a lawyer and philanthropist who was largely unknown nationally prior to being chosen to be Kennedy’s running mate. She founded the Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization that directs money towards issues like women’s reproductive health and environmental causes, and is a registered Democrat. She is the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and brings Silicon Valley ties to Kennedy's campaign.
Shanahan is a wealthy addition to Kennedy’s team. She had already donated more than $4 million to his campaign by the time he picked her, contributing over half the funds towards his $7 million Super Bowl commercial. She has also donated more than $10 million to the principal campaign committee Team Kennedy. As a running mate, she is not subject to campaign contribution limits.
Where is RFK Jr. on the ballot?
According to his campaign, the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket is officially on the ballot in seven states, including Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Texas.
They said they have collected enough signatures for ballot access in nine other states, too, including New Hampshire, Idaho, and New York.
What is RFK Jr.’s ballot status in Maine?
According to Maine's Secretary of State office, the Kennedy campaign has not yet secured their place on Maine’s presidential ballot, nor have they turned in any signatures.
Non-party presidential candidates in Maine must gather a minimum of 4,000 and a maximum of 5,000 valid signatures of registered voters of any or no party registration on a petition by the deadline of July 25 to get on the ballot. Registered voters attending Kennedy’s upcoming Maine rallies will be able to sign ballot access petitions available at the events.
The candidates also need to turn in a candidate consent form by that date. After July 25, there will be a five-business day challenge period, where a registered voter can challenge the validity of a nomination petition or of names upon a petition. If there are no challenges, the candidates will then be notified they will appear on the ballot.
In March, a federal judge ruled against Kennedy’s attempt to collect signatures at polling locations during the presidential primary on Super Tuesday because of a prohibition in Maine law barring people at the polls from trying to influence voters in a race being contested that day.
Volunteers help to gather signatures for RFK Jr.
Susan and Gary Ulin, from Deerfield, New Hampshire, greeted people coming to the rally on Thursday, urging them to sign the ballot access petitions.
Both had voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.
“Unfortunately,” said Susan Ulin, who is a registered independent. They both felt let down by Biden, especially because of his vaccine stance and because they think he didn’t reach across the aisle like he said he was going to, but they also don’t know that Trump would’ve been better.
They are both excited to vote for Kennedy in November, citing his stances on medical freedom and clean food systems. Kennedy gained prominence during the pandemic for his anti-vaccine comments, and his campaign has focused on targeting pharmaceutical and tech companies. As a former environmental lawyer, he has advocated for industries to reduce toxic waste, industrial poisons and pesticides.
“He tells the truth,” said Susan Ulin. “Nobody else in our political system tells the truth.”
Two more RFK Jr. rallies in Maine to come
The second event in the three-part series will be on June 4 at Jeff's Catering and Event Center in Brewer from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will feature speaker Dr. Meryl Nass, a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic whose license has been suspended until April 30, 2025.
The third event will be at Carriage House Plus in Lewiston on June 6, also from 4 to 7 p.m. Jeffrey N. Morris, a professor of mathematics at St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine, will speak.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RFK Jr. running mate Nicole Shanahan pushes to get on Maine ballot
