Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura top RFK Jr.’s list for Running Mate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently approached NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura about serving as his running mate on an independent presidential ticket, and both have welcomed the overtures, two people familiar with the discussions said. .

Mr Kennedy confirmed on Tuesday that the two men were at the top of his list. However, it is not clear whether either has formally been offered the post, and Mr Kennedy is still considering a shortlist of potential candidates. said the people familiar with the discussions.

Mr. Kennedy said he had spoken to Mr. Rodgers “fairly continuously” over the past month and had been in contact with Mr. Ventura since the former governor introduced him at a campaign event in Arizona last month.

A representative for Mr. Rodgers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Ventura was not immediately available for comment.

The involvement of Mr. Rodgers — who is expected to start for the New York Jets this fall, at the height of the campaign season — or Mr. Ventura could add star power and independent zeal to Mr. Kennedy’s outsider bid. Democrats are concerned that Mr. Kennedy could siphon votes from President Biden, swinging a close election to former President Donald J. Trump, and Mr. Biden’s allies have been working to win Mr. Kennedy across the country to withhold the vote.

Mr. Kennedy, 70, an environmental lawyer and scion of a storied Democratic family, has become prominent in recent years for his vaccine skepticism and his promotion of conspiracy theories about the federal government and public health apparatus. Mr. Rodgers, too, has increasingly embraced the role of celebrity provocateur and contrarian because of his positions on vaccines, public health and the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Kennedy is expected to name his running mate in the coming weeks, ahead of deadlines in states that require him to have a vice presidential pick to petition for ballot access. He initially ran for president as a Democrat, but announced in October that he would instead run as an independent, accusing Democrats of corruptly blocking his challenge to Mr. Biden.

In recent months, Mr. Kennedy and his camp have approached at least a half-dozen people, with varying degrees of formality, to gauge their interest in serving as his running mate. In addition to Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Ventura, he is said to have spoken with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky; and Andrew Yang, the former candidate for president and mayor of New York, the two people familiar with the discussions said.

Mr. Yang did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Paul’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Ms. Gabbard could not be reached for comment.

Everyone turned him down except Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Ventura.

If anything could be interpreted as a hint at where Mr. Kennedy might be leaning, the domain name kennedyrodgers.com was registered last week using a GoDaddy host.

Mr. Rodgers, 40, is a four-time winner of the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award, leading the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl victory in 2011. He is expected to start for the New York Jets this year after his debut with the team last season ended abruptly with a rupture of his left Achilles tendon in the opening minutes of the first game.

It’s not clear how his run for the nation’s second-highest office would work with his day job. He said recently that he hoped to play in the NFL for “two, three or four more years.”

It also wouldn’t be the first time Mr. Rodgers has wanted to add a sideline to his football career. In 2021, while playing for the Packers, he was among those who auditioned to be the host of the quiz show “Jeopardy!”

A spokesperson for the New York Jets did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The team is owned by Woody Johnson, a prominent donor to former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump appointed Mr. Johnson as his ambassador to Britain.

Mr. Rodgers has been outspoken on political and social issues in recent years. Last month, Mr. Rodgers said in an appearance on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast that he had lost friends, allies and sponsorship because of his public decision not to get vaccinated.

Mr Rodgers has promoted his skepticism about Covid vaccines during his regular guest spots on the ESPN show hosted by Pat McAfee, a former football gambler turned podcaster. In January, Mr. Rodgers had a falling out with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel when he falsely suggested that court documents linked Mr. Kimmel to Jeffrey Epstein during an appearance on Mr. McAfee’s show.

Mr. Rodgers was one early mainstay of Mr. Kennedy’s presidential bid. Last month, Mr. Kennedy shared one image on social media in which they walk together.

Mr. Ventura, 72, was famous in the 1970s and 1980s as a professional wrestler known as Jesse “the Body” Ventura, and he also appeared in films and on television before entering politics. He was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998 on the Reform Party ticket and served for one term.

He has since become a prominent figure in independent and third-party politics. He has written several books and now has one Substack‘First die and then stop’, with his son.

On a YouTube interview Four months ago, Mr. Ventura said he would consider an offer from Mr. Kennedy to serve on his ticket.

Reid J. Epstein And Maggie Haberman reporting contributed. Kitty Bennett And Susan C. Beachy research contributed.