[[{“value”:”According to The New York Times, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura are among a shortlist of candidates to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate.
“Mr. Kennedy confirmed on Tuesday that the two men were at the top of his list,” the outlet wrote.
RFK Jr. reportedly has been speaking with Rodgers “pretty continuously” in recent weeks.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s short list to be his running mate on an independent presidential ticket in November, the New York Times reported Tuesday.https://t.co/FEVCfEGkXv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024
Rodgers spoke about RFK Jr. during his recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
WATCH:
JUST IN — Bobby Kennedy Jr is talking to Aaron Rodgers about being his presidential running mate.
Rodgers spoke about his admiration for Kennedy on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience. pic.twitter.com/cLdyBQrjqy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 12, 2024
It’s not clear if RFK Jr. has offered the position to anyone.
The independent presidential candidate is expected to announce his running mate in the coming weeks.
Just in: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has chosen his running mate and he plans to announce his pick within 2 weeks ~ WAPO
Who will @RobertKennedyJr pick? pic.twitter.com/u0uFKBCM3l
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 13, 2024
The New York Times reports:
A representative for Mr. Rodgers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Ventura’s son, Tyrel Ventura, said in an email message late Tuesday: “No one has officially asked Gov. Ventura to be a vice-presidential candidate so the governor does not comment on speculation.”
The involvement of Mr. Rodgers — who is expected to start for the New York Jets this fall, at the height of campaign season — or of Mr. Ventura could add star power and independent zeal to Mr. Kennedy’s outsider bid.
Polls show Mr. Kennedy pulling roughly equal numbers of votes away from both President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump — but Democrats are far more worried than Republicans that he could tilt a close election to Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden’s allies have been working to block Mr. Kennedy from the ballot across the country.
Mr. Kennedy, 70, an environmental lawyer and scion of a storied Democratic family, has in recent years become prominent for his vaccine skepticism and his promotion of conspiracy theories about the federal government and public health apparatus. Mr. Rodgers, too, has increasingly embraced the role of celebrity provocateur and contrarian for his stances on vaccines, public health and the coronavirus pandemic.
Aside from Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura, RFK Jr.’s team reportedly has approached the following individuals for the role:
Tulsi Gabbard
Rand Paul
Andrew Yang
“All have turned him down, or their conversations have not advanced, except for Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Ventura, the people familiar with the discussions said,” the outlet wrote.
Just in: Aaron Rodgers is on RFK Jr VP shortlist. Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is on the list. RFK has spoken to Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard and Rand Paul. pic.twitter.com/ezdCMgAPZ5
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 12, 2024
Per NBC News:
Ventura, 72, was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998, becoming the first Reform Party candidate to win statewide office. He served one term and did not seek re-election.
Rodgers, 40, a future Hall of Fame quarterback who has won a Super Bowl title and four MVP awards, is expected to return to the field this year after an injury in the first game of the 2023 season kept him on the sidelines.
Rodgers endorsed Kennedy, 70, last year after the two bonded over their opposition to Covid vaccines. On Tuesday afternoon, Rodgers reposted Kennedy’s response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on X, saying, “This is presidential.”
The Democratic National Committee bashed Kennedy’s shortlist.
“The Three Stooges reunion no one was asking for. It’s no surprise this is the shortlist considering the conspiracy theorist doing the choosing,” Democratic National Committee senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement.
Kennedy ended his presidential campaign as a Democrat last year and launched an independent bid after having struggled to build support from the Democratic base.”}]] [[{“value”:”
According to The New York Times NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, former Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura were among the candidates for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate.
“Mr. Kennedy confirmed Tuesday that the men were at his top of the list,” the outlet wrote.
RFK Jr. has reportedly been speaking to Rodgers “pretty constantly” in recent weeks.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s short list to be his running mate on an independent presidential ticket in November, the New York Times reported Tuesday.https://t.co/FEVCfEGkXv
Adam Schefter March 12, 2024
Rodgers recently spoke about RFK Jr. on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
WATCH:
Aaron Rodgers, Bobby Kennedy Jr’s presidential running mate, is currently talking to Bobby Kennedy Jr.
Rodgers talked about his admiration of Kennedy in a recent episode on the Joe Rogan Experience. pic.twitter.com/cLdyBQrjqy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 12, 2024
It’s unclear if RFK Jr. offered the position to anyone.
In the coming weeks, it is expected that the independent presidential candidate will announce his running mate.
Just in: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce the name of his running mate within two weeks.
Who will @RobertKennedyJr choose? pic.twitter.com/u0uFKBCM3l
The Calvin Coolidge Project @TheCalvinCooli1 March 13, 2024
The New York Times reports
A representative for Mr. Rodgers didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Tyrel Ventura said in an email late Tuesday that “Nobody has officially asked Gov. Ventura is not a vice presidential candidate, so the governor will not comment.
The involvement of Mr. Rodgers, who is expected to be the starting quarterback for the New York Jets in the fall during the height of the campaign season, or Mr. Ventura may add star power and independent zeal Mr. Kennedy’s bid.
Polls show that Mr. Kennedy is pulling about the same number of votes from President Biden as he does from former President Donald J. Trump. However, Democrats are more concerned than Republicans that Mr. Kennedy could tip a close election in Mr. Trump’s favor. Mr. Biden and his allies have worked to remove Mr. Kennedy’s name from ballots across the country.
Mr. Kennedy, 70 years old, an environmental lawyer, and descendant of a legendary Democratic family, became famous in recent times for his vaccine skepticism, and his promotion and dissemination of conspiracy theories regarding the federal government and the public health apparatus. Rodgers has also taken on the role of celebrity provocateur, and a contrarian, for his stances regarding vaccines, public healthcare, and the coronavirus epidemic.
RFK Jr.’s team has reportedly approached the following individuals to fill the role, in addition to Aaron Rodgers.
Tulsi Gabbard
Rand Paul
Andrew Yang
The outlet reported that “all have rejected him or their conversations have not progressed, except for Mr. Rodgers” and “Mr. Ventura”.
Aaron Rodgers appears on the shortlist for RFK Jr. Vice President. Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura appears on the list. RFK spoke to Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabrielbard and Rand Paul. pic.twitter.com/ezdCMgAPZ5
The Calvin Coolidge Project @TheCalvinCooli1 March 12, 2024
Per NBC News
Ventura, 72 years old, was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998. He became the first Reform Party candidate who won a statewide office. He served only one term and did no seek reelection.
Rodgers, a future Hall of Fame QB who has won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl, is expected to be back on the field in 2019 after an injury kept him off the field during the first game of 2023.
Rodgers, 70, endorsed Kennedy last year, after the two became close over their opposition to Covid vaccinations. Rodgers posted Kennedy’s response on X to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday afternoon. He said, “This is Presidential.”
The Democratic National Committee criticized Kennedy’s shortlist.
“The Three Stooges Reunion No One Wanted” Mary Beth Cahill, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee, said that it’s not surprising this is on the shortlist given the conspiracy theorist who made the selection.
Kennedy, who had struggled to gain support from the Democratic base, launched his independent campaign after ending his presidential campaign last year as a Democrat.
“}]]
