Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California has urged Nicole Shanahan, the running mate of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, to resign from her position. He expressed concern that backing Kennedy’s campaign could potentially lead to former President Donald Trump securing a victory in the election.
In a letter that he shared with CBS News, he presented his pitch to her, although he had not yet sent it to Shanahan.
According to Khanna’s letter, both Trump and his team have acknowledged that having RFK Jr. as a candidate will contribute to his chances of getting reelected.
According to Khanna, even though there may be valid disagreements regarding the Democratic Party’s platform, it is evident that granting Trump a second term would have dire consequences for the climate and reverse the progress achieved by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Khanna emphasized that this act, considered the most impactful measure taken by Congress to address clean energy and climate change, would be jeopardized under Trump’s leadership.
Upon being contacted by CBS News, Shanahan chose to share her response to the letter on social media, displaying her lack of tolerance for Khanna’s recent opinions on the Kennedy campaign.
Shanahan shared in an interview that during his conversation with Ro, he expressed his congratulations on Shanahan’s position and offered words of encouragement to run for office. Ro emphasized that every American has the right to run in this country and highlighted the importance of democracy. He strongly believed that it was unacceptable for anyone to issue threats or attempt to discourage Shanahan from pursuing his political aspirations.
Shanahan expressed that her post served as her comprehensive response to CBS. She emphasized that she wrote it with the intention of demonstrating her allegiance to the people rather than the corporate press.
In a social media post on Tuesday night, Kennedy expressed his gratitude for Nicole’s courage and grace. He also shared his disappointment with RoKhanna, whom he had previously admired but felt let down by his change of stance. Kennedy believed that the party had the ability to pressure men of integrity into wavering.
During a recent event in Oakland, California, Shanahan expressed her disappointment with the Democratic Party, referring to herself as a “disillusioned Democrat.” She revealed that she had reached out to multiple political figures to discuss environmental policy but was disheartened by their lack of action. It was this frustration that ultimately led her to join Kennedy’s campaign as his running mate.
Some Democratic groups have been making efforts to prevent third-party candidates from challenging the president. MoveOn and Third Way, both Democratic organizations, recently declared their intention to redirect their efforts towards undermining Kennedy. This decision came after No Labels, another group, announced that it would no longer pursue a competing Unity ticket.
During a phone conversation with CBS News on Tuesday, Khanna expressed his respect for Nicole’s right to run, as well as his admiration for her. He emphasized that he values third-party and multiple-party perspectives, but he was simply presenting his argument from a persuasive standpoint.
He added that he did not want to make any negative remarks about her personally, but he hoped that she would recognize the importance of uniting with the larger Democratic coalition.
Khanna’s office made the decision to publicize the letter after attempting to privately dissuade Shanahan from joining Kennedy’s campaign.
According to Marie Baldassarre, a spokeswoman for Rep. Khanna, he made the decision to publicly release the letter and notify the press in order to draw attention to the potential risks associated with RFK’s campaign. Additionally, Khanna had privately contacted Nicole in the past to encourage her to reconsider and join the Biden coalition.
