Meet the woman who helped pay for that RFK Super Bowl ad

Super Bowl ads cost a fortune. So when a group supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential bid. supported posted a 30-second ad for him during Sunday night's game, the political world took notice.

How did the super PAC of an independent candidate with a long history pay for such a precious spot, and whose idea was it to adapt a vintage John F. Kennedy ad for his cousin's campaign?

A key source of the funding – and creative guidance – turned out to be Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer, entrepreneur and Democratic donor who was once married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

In an interview on Monday, Ms. Shanahan said she had donated $4 million to the super PAC, American Values ​​2024, about a week before the game for the express purpose of helping pay for a Super Bowl ad. She also helped coordinate production of the ad, she said, including navigating CBS Sports and Paramount, which aired the Super Bowl.

“It seems like a great opportunity to emphasize that he is running for president,” Ms. Shanahan said. She said part of her motivation was concerns about the environment, vaccines and children's health, and her belief that Mr. Kennedy was willing to challenge the scientific establishment.

“I wonder if there are any injuries from vaccines,” she said, although she clarified that she is “not an anti-vaxxer” but wanted more screening of the risks of vaccinations. “I think there should be room for these conversations.”

Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has become widely known in recent years for his work with the so-called medical freedom movement, which has promoted discredited claims about the risks of certain vaccinations for children.

“I really think we have an environmental and health crisis in this country,” Ms. Shanahan said. “I truly believe that Americans deserve clean water. And we cannot achieve that in the current political climate.”

Tony Lyons, co-chair of American Values ​​2024, confirmed Ms. Shanahan's role and the timeline she outlined for the ad's production. He said several other donors had contributed to pay for the ad, which cost $7 million. (The contributions, like Ms. Shanahan's, will not appear in public documents until the super PAC files its next report, due later this month.)

A representative for Paramount Global declined to comment.

The ad, which adapted images from a famous 1960 Kennedy campaign ad, drew criticism from some members of the Kennedy family, many of whom criticized it for spreading conspiracy theories about vaccines and promoting other misinformation.

In a post on the social media site someone instigated in my family's pain.”

As of Monday afternoon, the ad was still stuck on his profile, but was later removed. Stefanie Spear, the Kennedy campaign's press secretary, did not respond to a request for comment Monday. On Sunday, she said the campaign was “pleasantly surprised and grateful” for the ad.

Ms. Shanahan, 38, is a lawyer and technology entrepreneur in the Bay Area who has invested in scientific research, particularly in the areas of health and the environment. She was married to Mr. Brin in 2018; their divorce was finalized last summer.

Ms. Shanahan, who has a record of donating to Democrats — including to President Biden's 2020 campaign — and described herself Monday as “thoroughly progressive,” gave the maximum contribution of $6,600 in May Mr. Kennedy's presidential campaign. he was still seeking the Democratic nomination, records show.

But when Mr. Kennedy announced in October that he would instead run as an independent — a move he said was necessary because Democrats were blocking him from challenging Mr. Biden — Ms. Shanahan said she was “incredibly disappointed.” and she decided not to support him. .

In recent weeks, she said, she has thought about it again as she met people who were “really excited” about Mr. Kennedy. “There are places of silent support everywhere,” she said.

On Feb. 2, she said, she first spoke with Mr. Lyons, who told her he wanted to run a Super Bowl ad but didn't have the money.

American Values ​​has said it raised more than $28 million last year, but that figure included $10 million in contributions from Gavin de Becker, a well-known security consultant — of which $9.7 million was returned, records show .

The super PAC has said that funds from Mr. De Becker, whose firm underwrote the security of Mr. Kennedy's campaign, were “major gifts of bridge financing” and that the money was returned to him when it was not needed. “He continues to provide bridge financing, including the $4 million donation he made in February,” Mr. Lyons said in a statement.

The super PAC also received $15 million last year from Timothy Mellon, a banking heir and businessman who also donated $10 million to a super PAC in 2023 in support of former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Mellon's role has raised eyebrows among some Democrats, while fears are widespread in the party that Mr. Kennedy could siphon votes away from Mr. Biden.

After the ad ran Sunday night, the Democratic National Committee accused Mr. Kennedy of serving as a “Trump stalking horse” trying to undermine Mr. Biden. In response, the super PAC said the DNC used “every political trick it could think of” to keep Mr. Kennedy off the ballot. (Indeed, Mr. Biden's allies have tried to fend off potential third-party presidential candidates.)

American Values ​​2024 had $14.8 million available at the end of December, according to its final report filed Jan. 31. The super PAC has said it plans to spend more than $15 million to support the Kennedy campaign's efforts to raise awareness of his name. on the vote in 12 states — an effort that is being challenged by the DNC, which last week filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing the groups of improper coordination.

Ms. Shanahan said that after her Feb. 2 phone call with Mr. Lyons, she sent the super PAC $4 million to help pay for a Super Bowl ad.

But the next day, a Saturday, Mr. Lyons told her that the ad they had been working on could not run because of concerns about laws banning super PACs from coordinating with candidates. The ad included clips of Mr. Kennedy speaking to the camera, she said.

“Neither of us was willing to give up on the idea of ​​the Super Bowl ad,” Mr. Lyons said. “He was censored in so many ways that many people in the United States didn't know he was on the run, even though he crossed the country and worked around the clock to get his message across.”

That evening, Ms. Shanahan called a friend who had family ties to an advertising agency and got a recommendation for an editor in New York, who agreed to take on the project on Sunday morning. Another friend of Ms. Shanahan suggested “something retro,” she said.

Working with a small team, “We spent the next ten hours looking at every retro ad we could find,” she said. “The Kennedy jingle stuck in our heads.” She had never seen the original ad, she said.

Mr. Lyons said he became involved in the ad production process after a rough cut was put together, he said, and presented to Paramount. “She was the driving force behind the decision to create this ad. When I heard about it, I thought it was a great idea.”

Mr. Lyons said the network pulled out over concerns about whether the super PAC could use the original ad without legal concerns. The group consulted with an attorney, who said the 1960 ad was in the public domain.

Ms Shanahan said there was some concern that the Kennedy family might not approve the ad. “They might be upset, but some might be excited too,” she speculated. “What a beautiful tribute to this wonderful family.”

Jim Rutenberg reporting contributed.