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Tags: nicole shanahan | robert f. kennedy jr. | warning | senators | primary | hhs | confirmation

Billionaire Ex-RFK VP Pick Vows to Primary Senators

By    |   Wednesday, 29 January 2025 09:31 AM EST

Billionaire Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s former running mate, promised to fund primary challengers to U.S. Senators who oppose his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy's nomination has been controversial due to his unorthodox views on various issues.

Shanahan took to X on Tuesday night to post a video with a warning: "Dear U.S. Senators, Bobby may play nice; I won't."

"If you vote against him, I will personally fund challengers to primary you in your next election and I will enlist hundreds of thousands to join me," Shanahan said in her video.

"Big Pharma and Big Ag have exploited us for far too long. It ends now. You're either on the side of transparency and accountability or you are standing in the way. The choice is yours. Please choose wisely."

Shanahan mentioned some senators by name, including six up for reelection in 2026: Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Cory Booker, D-N.J.

She also mentioned Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, James Lankford, R-Okla., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev.

Saying she "cut large checks to [Senate Democrat Leader] Chuck Schumer to help Democrats flip two Senate seats in Georgia from red to blue," Shanahan warmed Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both from the Peach State, of what will happen if they vote "no" on RFK Jr.

"[P]lease know I will be watching your votes very closely," she told Warnock and Ossoff. "I will make it my personal mission that you lose your seats in the Senate if you vote against the future health of America's children."

Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, was nominated by President Donald Trump to be HHS secretary. Kennedy will testify Wednesday at the first of two Senate committee hearings, The New York Times reported.

In the GOP-led Senate, Kennedy can afford to lose the support of just three Republican senators when his nomination comes before the full chamber.

"I urge everyone to call their U.S. Senators over the following days and demand they vote yes on Bobby's nomination. He is more than qualified, he's proven, principled, and prepared to lead," Shanahan said in her video.

"If they don't, please call your own Senator and ask them to vote yes. We need as many votes as we can get."

Charlie McCarthy

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.

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Billionaire Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s former running mate, promised to fund primary challengers to U.S. Senators who oppose his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
nicole shanahan, robert f. kennedy jr., warning, senators, primary, hhs, confirmation
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2025-31-29
Wednesday, 29 January 2025 09:31 AM
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