Mark Cuban believes most Americans are fed up with the Republican and Democratic parties, and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks said a mouthful in just a few words:
“I believe an independent candidate could win. I think most Americans are upset with both parties,” Cuban told Get More Sports via e-mail.
Cuban’s response came to this question: I know you have said in the past that if you run for President, you would prefer to do it as a third-party candidate. Do you truly believe a third-party could win the 2020 U.S. Election? (Perhaps if it was named the Moderate Party?)
Cuban has long said that he may eye a run for the Presidency in 2020, and several Democrats have already announced their candidacies — the latest being Sen. Kirsten Gillebrand of New York.
The 2020 Democratic field could have as many as five women. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the first to join the race with the announcement of an exploratory committee on New Year’s Eve, and has traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire. Tulsi Gabbard, a 37-year old lawmaker from Hawaii and one of the first two female combat veterans ever to serve in Congress, has also announced a bid.
California Sen. Kamala Harris, the first South Asian-American and second African-American woman elected to the upper chamber, is preparing a run and is currently on a book tour. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is also seriously considering a campaign for the presidency, per CBS News.
President Donald J. Trump officially filed for re-election on Jan. 20, 2017, and has been running campaign ads ever since.
Republicans who have expressed an interest in running for president within the last six months include: Bob Corker, U.S. Senator from Tennessee 2007–2019; Jeff Flake, U.S. Senator from Arizona 2013–2019; Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland since 2015; John Kasich, Governor of Ohio 2011–2019; Bill Kristol, Chief of Staff to Vice President Dan Quayle 1989–1993.
Other declared candidates from the Democratic party include former San Antonio Mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro; Former New Jersey Rep. John Delaney; and West Virginian State Senator Richard Ojeda.
There is a hodgepodge of other Democrats who have expressed an interest in running but have not yet made a formal announcement, including boxer Oscar de la Hoya, actress Angelina Jolie, and U.S. Senate candidate runner-up Beto O’Rourke, who narrowly lost to Ted Cruz, but won all of the border counties near Mexico (the folks down there don’t want a wall … or an Immigration policy that makes no sense, leading to things like the longest government shutdown in U.S. history).
And so while Cuban’s statement to GetMoreSports.com was not a formal candidacy announcement, it should certainly stir the pot in terms of what the political landscaper looks like over the holiday weekend in the United States.
Here are the current odds:
Meanwhile, Cuban also owns a basketball team, and the latest NBA All-Star Western Conference returns have Luka Doncic in second-place behind LeBron James. James, a 14-time All-Star, leads all NBA players with 3,770,807 votes. Doncic has 3,301,825 votes, and in third place is Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder (2,583,342). The Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant (2,432,134) and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis (2,091,770) complete the top five.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry (2,979,080) and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Derrick Rose (2,712,938) remain the two front-runners among fans in the West guard group. The Houston Rockets’ James Harden (2,315,093) and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (2,090,432) are still in third and fourth place, respectively.
In the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo holds the top spot with 3,626,909 votes. He leads a frontcourt group that continues to feature the Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard (2,882,227) in second place and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (2,292,511) in third place.
The Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving (3,187,015) is still setting the pace among East guards, followed again by the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (1,738,043) in second place. The Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker (1,156,040) remains in third place, per NBA.com.
If not for former Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, Donic would not be playing for Cuban’s team. Suns coach Igor Kokoskov coaches Doncic on the Slovenian National Team, and he lobbied hard for Phoenix to take Doncic No. 1 overall. But the Suns close DeAndre Ayton of the Bahamas instead.
“We had no idea if he would or wouldn’t be (available at No. 3) .We obviously hoped he would be. Once he got past 2, we obviously had to give up a lot to get him,” said Cuban, who traded the fifth overall pick (Trae Young) and a protected 2019 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
Helleluka is now part of the nomenclature in Dallas:
Cuban has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to legalized sports betting, once saying he would open a hedge fund devoted exclusively to sports gambling because of the talent of the people who make a living off of it.
This season, he hired Bob Voulgaris as director of quantitative research and development. For years, Voulgaris made a living betting on NBA games, successfully wagering based on his research and information. Voulgaris is known for his deep analytics and expertise on coaching strategy and tendencies of individual referees. His computer program was named “Ewing.”
How much of an impact has Voularis had on the Mavs’ success? (They are 20-14, 13th in the NBA’s Western Conference).
On this question, Cuban was coy again.
“We haven’t come up with a winshares formula for bob,” Cuban wrote.
So Cuban remains a man of mystery … but the mystery over whether he might run for president might be a little closer to being solved.
FROM JULY: SHERIDAN ON CUBAN PRESIDENTIAL RUN
