Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering a shortlist of candidates for his running mate that includes the New York Jets quarterback. Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, NBC News confirmed Tuesday.
Kennedy said in an interview last month that he would name his VP pick within the next 30 days. The self-imposed deadline passed without notice in early March, he said Wednesday In a post on X He will announce his vice-presidential pick on March 26.
“He joins Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura, among others, on a short list,” a Kennedy campaign spokeswoman said Tuesday. “No other details were available.”
The New York Times First reported Rodgers and Ventura, a former professional wrestler, were on Kennedy's shortlist.
Rodgers and the Jets did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ventura could not be reached for comment.
Ventura, 72, was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998, becoming the first Reform Party candidate to win statewide office. He served for one term and did not run for re-election.
Rodgers, 40, a A future Hall of Fame quarterback Expected to win a Super Bowl title and four MVP awards return to the field This year he was sidelined in the first game of the 2023 season after an injury.
Rodgers endorsed Kennedy, 70, last year after his opposition to Covid vaccines. Tuesday afternoon, Rodgers Reposted Kennedy's response In President Joe Biden's State of the Union address at X, he said, “This is the president.”
The Democratic National Committee rejected Kennedy's final list.
“Nobody asked for a Three Stooges reunion. It's no surprise that it's on the short list, given the conspiracy theorist's choice,” Democratic National Committee senior counsel Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement.
Kennedy ended his presidential campaign as a Democrat last year and launched an independent bid after struggling to build support from the Democratic base.
A step Quinnipiac University Poll A study released last month of a hypothetical race involving Biden, former President Donald Trump and Kennedy as an independent candidate found that 38% of voters supported Biden, followed by 37% for Trump and 15% for Kennedy.
The poll, which included 1,421 self-identified registered voters nationwide, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
