Rodgers, Ventura among RFK Jr.’s top choices for running mate
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has recently approached NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura about serving as his running mate on an independent presidential ticket, and both have welcomed the overtures, two people familiar with the discussions said.
Kennedy confirmed Tuesday that the two men were at the top of his list. It is not clear if either has been formally offered the post, however, and Kennedy is still considering a shortlist of potential candidates, the people familiar with the discussions said.
Kennedy said he had been speaking with Rodgers “pretty continuously” for the past month, and that he had been in touch with Ventura since the former governor introduced him at a campaign event last month in Arizona.
A representative for Rodgers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 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 Rodgers — who is expected to start for the New York Jets this fall, at the height of campaign season — or of Ventura could add star power and independent zeal to Kennedy’s outsider bid.
Polls show 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 Trump. Biden’s allies have been working to block Kennedy from the ballot across the country.
Kennedy, 70, an environmental lawyer and scion of a storied Democratic family, has in recent years become prominent for his vaccine skepticism and his criticism of the federal government and public health apparatus. Rodgers, too, has increasingly embraced the role of celebrity provocateur and contrarian for his stances on vaccines, public health and the coronavirus pandemic.
Kennedy is expected to name his running mate in the coming weeks, ahead of deadlines in states that require him to have a vice-presidential pick to petition for ballot access. He initially ran for president as a Democrat but announced in October that he would run as an independent instead, accusing Democrats of corruptly blocking his challenge to Biden.
In recent months, Kennedy and his camp have approached at least a halfdozen people, with varying degrees of formality, to gauge their interest in serving as his running mate. Aside from Rodgers and Ventura, he is said to have spoken with former Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky; and Andrew Yang, the former candidate for president and New York mayor, the two people familiar with the discussions said.
Yang and Paul’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Gabbard could not be reached for comment.
All have turned him down, or their conversations have not advanced, except for Rodgers and Ventura, the people familiar with the discussions said.
Also under consideration, according to the Washington Post, are former senator Scott Brown (R-mass.), motivational speaker Tony Robbins and Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs.”
If anything could be interpreted as a hint of where Kennedy might lean, the domain name kennedyrodgers.com was registered last week using a Godaddy host.
Rodgers, 40, is a four-time winner of the NFL’S Most Valuable Player award, leading Green Bay to a Super Bowl victory in 2011. His debut with the Jets last season ended abruptly with a rupture of his left Achilles’ tendon in the opening minutes of the first game.