Source: Albany Times Union/Hearst Newspapers / Getty
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making a bold play, eyeing NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers as his potential vice president pick.
According to reports, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy has reached out to New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to gauge his interest in becoming his vice president. Kennedy has confirmed that the veteran signal-caller is at the “top” of a list of candidates along with former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura. He also said that he and Rodgers have been speaking “pretty continuously” and that Rodgers appeared to be very receptive to the idea.
Kennedy, who comes from a storied political family, has become more prominent in recent years due to his vaccine skepticism and voiced backing of conspiracy theories about the federal government and its public health system. Rodgers, 40, who is set to return as the Jets starting quarterback after getting injured in the first minutes of the past season, has become a somewhat polarizing figure as he has also embraced being a contrarian provocateur when it comes to vaccine skepticism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has backed Kennedy multiple times in the past few months. Ventura has previously said that if Kennedy considered him he would be honored, but his son, Tyrel Ventura, said in an email to the New York Times: “No one has officially asked Gov. Ventura to be a vice-presidential candidate so the governor does not comment on speculation.”
Given that the National Football League begins its season in September, there are questions as to how Rodgers would operate if he were to officially accept the role. Kennedy has reportedly also spoken to former Democratic presidential candidate and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard. All three declined to comment on if those conversations took place to the press, but a source close to Kennedy’s campaign claimed that all three declined to be considered.
The added star power of Rodgers could boost Kennedy’s numbers – at present, he’s sitting in third place with a potential 15% of voters behind incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden at 35.5% and Republican nominee Donald Trump at 39.8%, according to polling data from Real Clear.