Independent Candidate Kennedy Secures Additional 10 Billion Won in Campaign Funds... 'Determination to Complete the Race'

Running Mate Nicole Shanahan Donation
"Purpose: Robert Junior's Participation in Presidential Debate"

Robert Kennedy Jr., running as an independent candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election this November, is showing determination to complete his campaign by securing additional election funds.

According to The New York Times (NYT) on the 16th (local time), Nicole Shanahan, who was named Robert Jr.'s running mate, contributed an additional $8 million (approximately 10 billion KRW) in campaign funds at a fundraising event held the previous day in Nashville, Tennessee. Shanahan is a practicing attorney and the former wife of Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.

[Image source=Getty Images Yonhap News]

With this, the total amount Shanahan has officially donated to Robert Jr.'s campaign reaches $10 million, and including personal support such as Super Bowl advertising expenses, it approaches $15 million. Although U.S. campaign finance law limits individual donations to under $6,600, the media reported that candidates themselves, like Shanahan, are not subject to donation limits.

The NYT stated, "Shanahan is injecting financial vitality into Robert Jr.'s campaign," and "She is making costly efforts to challenge the two major party candidates who want to exclude Robert Jr. from the presidential debate stage." President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to hold their first TV debate on June 27 on CNN ahead of the November election. The second debate is scheduled for September 10 on ABC News.

The NYT noted that there is a possibility that the third candidate, Robert Jr., could join the presidential debate alongside the two former and current presidents. CNN has set participation requirements for the presidential debate, requiring a candidate to exceed 15% support in at least four polls approved by CNN and other institutions or media outlets. Robert Jr. currently meets the qualification criteria in two of the approved polls (CNN and Quinnipiac University).

Meanwhile, after the debate schedule for President Biden and former President Trump was announced, Robert Jr. criticized on social media, saying, "They are afraid I might win and are trying to exclude me from the debate," and added, "Excluding a strong candidate at the debate stage undermines democracy." According to a public opinion poll by the U.S. public broadcaster PBS last month, Robert Jr.'s support rate is 14%, and he is drawing more votes away from former President Trump.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.