RFK Jr. running mate says Khanna’s call for her to step down is ‘anti-democratic’

Nicole Shanahan, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, called Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) open letter asking her to step down ‘anti-democratic’ in a social media post Tuesday.

Shanahan, a Silicon Valley attorney, said the California progressive has flipped his stance after initially encouraging her to run in conversations between the two.

“In my conversation with Ro he congratulated me on the position and encouraged me to run, stating that every American has the right to run in this country,” Shanahan wrote Tuesday on the social platform X. “He stated that we live in a democracy, and it was wrong for anyone to threaten me against running.” 

“Clearly, Ro has changed his stance based on pressure from the party,” she continued. “I hope he understands how anti-democratic it is to ask someone to step down from a race that empowers the American public to make their own decisions.”  

“I am very disappointed that he has been pressured into issuing this letter to me publicly. He could have called me privately. He has my direct line.”

The remarks come after CBS News contacted Shanahan for comment on Khanna’s letter calling for her to step down.

Khanna shared the letter with the outlet before sending it to Shanahan, ahead of its publication in a signature campaign.

Khanna asked for Shanahan to halt her bid and expressed concern that Kennedy’s run would “tip the scales in Donald Trump’s favor” during the November presidential election.

“While I completely respect third parties and the right for anyone to run for public office, I am deeply concerned that Robert F. Kennedy’s name on the ballot in swing states could tilt the election in Donald Trump’s favor,” Khanna wrote in the letter. “Another Trump presidency would be disastrous – for our environment, for our economy, and our democracy.” 

Khanna expressed his admiration for Shanahan’s commitment to addressing the “climate crisis,” but argued Trump’s potential return to the Oval Office would be “disastrous” for the climate. 

“While you may have fair disagreements on the Democratic Party’s platform, it is clear that a second term for Trump would be disastrous for climate and undo the work of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in our nation’s history,” he wrote in the letter. “We can’t afford such a fatal blow to building a clean energy economy.” 

Khanna said while he also does not agree with Biden on every issue, he made the case that “practically” the upcoming election is a “binary” choice between Trump and Biden. 

“I know you don’t agree with President Biden on every issue,” Khanna said in the letter. 

Shanahan said last month she is a “disillusioned Democrat” and that environmental policy played a role in her decision to join Kennedy’s ticket.

“Despite being a surrogate for the President, I have criticized his position on the Willow Project, which opens part of the pristine Arctic tundra and wetland to oil production,” Khanna said in the letter. 

Despite pushing President Biden to call for an immediate cease-fire and “the release of all hostages,” Khanna said in the letter that he wholeheartedly supports the president’s reelection campaign because he knows Biden is “our best choice for president.”

Shanahan has donated to Khanna’s congressional run in the past. She donated $6,600 to his reelection run in 2023, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Kennedy said he “always admired” Khanna, but his request to Shanahan was “disappointing.”

“Im so grateful for your courage and grace Nicole,” Kennedy said on X Tuesday night. “I have always admired RoKhanna. His flip flop here is disappointing. The party has power to bludgeon men of character into wavering.”