RFK Jr.'s former running mate rules out 2026 CA governor run, hints at activism: 'Watching closely'
Nicole Shanahan, Silicon Valley philanthropist and Robert F. Kennedy's running mate during his 2024 presidential race, has ruled out a gubernatorial run in California for the 2026 election to replace the termed-out liberal Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Shannahan made the announcement Friday on Steve Hilton's podcast when asked about her priorities in the Golden State.
"My priorities are and, you know, Steve, I'm just gonna share with you now; I'm giving you the exclusive. I'm not running for governor in 2026," Shanahan told Hilton, a Fox News contributor.
Scorched-earth Shanahan: Rfk Jr's Former Running Mate Threatens Political War Against Confirmation Opponents
"I believe that my job in 2026 is to get people to break out of their political orthodoxy, to think about what is really in the best interest of California," she said. "I am not a Democrat, I am not a Republican, I am an independent, and I'm here to support the revival of California."
She continued, saying "now is the time for people to step up" and that she will be "watching closely" and "supporting" individuals who "continue to be brave enough to stand up against harmful political ideology to do what is right for the people."
Read On The Fox News App
Shanahan has been involved in several political efforts in California, including being a major donor in the effort to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Trump Surrogate Corrin Rankin Picked To Lead Blue State's Gop: 'Make California Great Again'
As Kennedy faced high-stakes congressional confirmation hearings to lead the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, Shanahan singled out several senators, warning that she would financially support primary challengers if they voted against his confirmation as secretary.
"Dear U.S. Senators, Bobby may play nice; I won't," she wrote in a post on X.
Who Is Nicole Shanahan? Meet The Wealthy Entrepreneur Rfk Jr Selected As His Vp Running Mate
Several candidates have announced their intentions to run for governor of California in the 2026 election, while others are still considering their options.
Katie Porter, the former liberal congresswoman, has launched her bid, focusing on advocating for working families and opposing former President Trump's policies. Eleni Kounalakis, California's lieutenant governor, has officially entered the race, seeking to continue Newsom's policies.
Other candidates include Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff who is running on the Republican ticket. Bianco's platform centerson law enforcement issues and border security.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is also rumored to be considering a 2026 run, and her decision could have a major impact on the race, particularly among Democratic voters.Original article source: RFK Jr.'s former running mate rules out 2026 CA governor run, hints at activism: 'Watching closely'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
38 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Tucker Carlson Blasts Former Fox News Colleague Sean Hannity: 'Warmongers'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson blasted his former Fox News colleague Sean Hannity on Friday, calling Hannity and other MAGA hawks "warmongers" for cheering Israel's missile strikes against the Iranian regime. The Context Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran early Friday, local time, which decimated the regime's military chain of command, hit critical nuclear facilities and took out top Iranian nuclear scientists. After the strikes, Iran pulled out of scheduled nuclear talks with the U.S. and retaliated against Israel with a wave of rocket attacks that struck Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial center and also home to the country's central military base. Israel and Iran have been engaged in an increasingly destructive array of tit-for-tat strikes against one another since Hamas—backed by the Iran-led Axis of Resistance—carried out its attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. But the strikes commenced by Israel early Friday marked the most serious escalation yet between Jerusalem and Tehran. What To Know When Israel struck Iran, it capped a long-running foreign policy battle being waged in President Donald Trump's inner circle. Carlson, a staunch isolationist, was among the voices urging against escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, which were at a tipping point before Israel's strikes against the regime early Friday. He also supported Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as he spearheaded the nuclear discussions with Iran. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP On the other side of the coin were Hannity and conservative media host Mark Levin, who, among others, were deeply skeptical that Iran would agree to end its nuclear program and expressed support for Israel taking military action. On Friday, Carlson tore into Hannity, Levin, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and conservative megadonors Isaac Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. "The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He added: "Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now." Newsweek reached out to Fox News for comment via email on Friday. Hannity and Levin took a victory lap on Fox News shortly after Israel carried out its first strike against Iran early Friday, with Hannity rattling off a list of Iran's provocations and nuclear threats and Levin saying that "the Iranians are about to get their asses kicked and it's been coming since Jimmy Carter." "They think this is Joe Biden's administration, that they would get away, get nuclear weapons and then the world would sit there, wouldn't know what to do about it," he said, adding that Israel "is not going to sit there and take it." Hours after the strikes, Carlson put out what he called his potential "final newsletter before all-out war" and accused Trump of being "complicit." "While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events. Washington knew these attacks would happen," Carlson wrote. "They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be America First can't now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it. Our country is in deep." "Despite being complicit in the act of war, the president hopes last night's events will help his ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran," Carlson added. "Steve Witkoff was scheduled to participate in the next round of talks on Sunday, but whether that will still happen is up in the air." Israel's strikes against Iran came after months of Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Tehran, saying that it would torpedo America's already tenuous negotiations with the Iranian regime. What People Are Saying On Friday, after Israel's strikes, Trump again pushed Iran to come back to the table, writing on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!" After Iran initiated its retaliatory rocket attacks against Israel, a U.S. defense official told Newsweek: "Yes, the U.S. is assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel." What Happens Next Israel and Iran have been bombing each other since the first wave of strikes early Friday, with Israel saying it plans to "escalate" in response to Iran's retaliatory attack. Iran, meanwhile, has warned that it will target the military bases of any countries that assist Israel.
Hamilton Spectator
40 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Judge blocks plan to allow immigration agents in New York City jail
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge blocked New York City's mayor from letting federal immigration authorities reopen an office at the city's main jail, in part because of concerns the mayor invited them back in as part of a deal with the Trump administration to end his corruption case. New York Judge Mary Rosado's decision Friday is a setback for Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who issued an executive order permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to maintain office space at the Rikers Island jail complex. City lawmakers filed a lawsuit in April accusing Adams of entering into a 'corrupt quid pro quo bargain' with the Trump administration in exchange for the U.S. Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him. Rosado temporarily blocked the executive order in April. In granting a preliminary injunction, she said city council members have 'shown a likelihood of success in demonstrating, at minimum, the appearance of a quid pro quo whereby Mayor Adams publicly agreed to bring Immigration and Customs Enforcement ('ICE') back to Rikers Island in exchange for dismissal of his criminal charges.' Rosado cited a number of factors, including U.S. border czar Tom Homan's televised comments in February that if Adams did not come through, 'I'll be in his office, up his butt saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?' ' Adams has repeatedly denied making a deal with the administration over the criminal case. He has said he deputized his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island to make sure there was no appearance of any conflict of interest. Rosado said that Mastro reports to Adams and 'cannot be considered impartial and free from Mayor Adams' conflicts.' Mastro said in a prepared statement Friday the administration was confident they will prevail in the case. 'Let's be crystal clear: This executive order is about the criminal prosecution of violent transnational gangs committing crimes in our city. Our administration has never, and will never, do anything to jeopardize the safety of law-abiding immigrants, and this executive order ensures their safety as well,' Mastro said. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running in the Democratic primary for mayor, called the decision a victory for public safety. 'New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised,' she said in a prepared statement. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dodgers return to 'unsettling' situation in Los Angeles as protests continue
Dodgers return to 'unsettling' situation in Los Angeles as protests continue Show Caption Hide Caption Sen. Alex Padilla physically removed from DHS news conference Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla was forced out and handcuffed at a Homeland Security news conference in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed the unrest in Los Angeles with protests sparked by immigration raids carried out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 'I know that when you're having to bring people in and, you know, deport people and just kind of all the unrest, it's certainly unsettling for everyone," Roberts said June 13 during his pregame press conference at Dodger Stadium. Roberts spoke before the Dodgers' first home game since the protests started June 6, facing the San Francisco Giants after a six-game road trip that began the same day the protests started. Roberts, who helped lead the Dodgers to World Series titles in 2020 and 2024, said he didn't know enough about the situation to "speak intelligently on it." "I don't know enough, to be quite honest with you," Roberts said, adding that he "hasn't done enough and can't speak intelligently on it." During pregame clubhouse media availability, multiple Dodgers players declined to discuss the unrest in Los Angeles when asked by USA TODAY Sports.
