Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named a running mate for his long-shot third party bid on Tuesday, introducing little-known Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan to voters in Oakland, California. 

By naming a running mate, Kennedy raises the profile of his independent bid, which is beginning to be taken seriously as a potential spoiler in a close presidential race.

Kennedy names VP candidate

While introducing Shanahan in her hometown of Oakland, Kennedy described his running mate as a "brilliant scientist" and a "fierce warrior mom."

“Nicole and I both left the Democratic Party,” Kennedy said. “Our values didn’t change. The Democratic Party did.”

According to the New York Post, Shanahan has donated millions to left-wing causes like prison reform through her organization, Bia-Echo Foundation.

But the wealthy California lawyer and philanthropist, who grew up poor, introduced herself to voters by referencing subjects that seemed likely to draw scorn from today's establishment-oriented liberals, who pride themselves on "following the science."

She echoed Kennedy's well-known skepticism of vaccines and raised concern about "toxic substances in our environment" as well as "electromagnetic pollution."

“Our children are not well, our people are not well, and our country will not be well for very much longer, if we don’t heed this desperate call for attention,” she said.

Battle to define Kennedy

Kennedy's anti-establishment posture and especially his views on vaccines have led to uncertainty about where exactly his voter base lies.

The Kennedy campaign appeared to place Shanahan firmly on the left, touting her work for "honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture and children’s and maternal health."

In his own remarks, Kennedy said Shanahan was aware of the scheming of pharmaceutical giants and the "military industrial complex," using populist rhetoric that has become more prevalent on the right in the Trump era.

It's likely Republicans will emphasize Shanahan's liberal leanings, while Democrats will paint her as a "conspiracy theorist" to scare away the Democratic party's core voters, who align closely with the establishment and prioritize respectability.

A Pro-Trump PAC dismissed Shanahan as a "Biden donor leftist," while Democrats reacted to Kennedy's announcement with outrage and alarm on a strategy call.

"He’s a spoiler,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) said on the call. “He was drafted into this race by Donald Trump’s top supporters.”