RFK Jr picks California lawyer as his running mate

US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has unveiled Silicon Valley lawyer and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.

Ms Shanahan, 38, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has never before run for political office.

Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist and scion of America's most famous political dynasty, is running as an independent.

Naming a VP pick is a prerequisite to be on the ballot in a number of states.

The Kennedy campaign has ruffled Democrats, who are concerned about its spoiler potential on President Joe Biden's re-election chances.

The Democratic National Committee has recently stepped up attacks on Mr Kennedy, arguing that his third-party bid will only end up helping to elect the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

Ms Shanahan has previously been a longtime Democratic donor and has already donated to Democrats and Mr Kennedy's campaign.

She was unveiled on Tuesday by Mr Kennedy at a rally in Oakland, California.

He described her as someone with a deep inside knowledge of Big Tech, which he depicted as a threat to democracy.

Mr Kennedy was introduced at the event by his wife, Cheryl Hines, the star of HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In February, Ms Shanahan acknowledged partially funding a Super Bowl ad released by Mr Kennedy's campaign.

The ad was a remake of a 1960 spot that was part of the White House campaign run by his uncle, President John F Kennedy.

The Super Bowl ad drew disapproval, including from members of RFK Jr's family, who criticised his vaccine scepticism.

Mr Kennedy, 70, previously challenged Mr Biden for the Democratic Party's nomination, before launching an independent bid last October.

Naming Ms Shanahan as his vice-presidential nominee will help his campaign clear the way for ballot access in many US states and Washington DC.

His campaign has to navigate a wide variety of state rules to get his name on the ballot.

On Monday, Mr Kennedy threatened legal action against Nevada amid suggestions that signatures his campaign has gathered to qualify for the ballot in that state could be invalid, as he had no confirmed running mate at the time they were filed.

So far, Mr Kennedy is only confirmed to be on the ballot in Utah.

His campaign has previously floated a number of names on the shortlist to be his vice-presidential running mate, including American football star Aaron Rodgers, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, and former Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard.