In a surprising revelation, billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted that former Vice President Kamala Harris once considered him as her running mate during the 2024 presidential campaign — but he politely declined the offer. The admission came during a candid chat on “The Bulwark” podcast, where Cuban dropped the bombshell after host Tim Miller teased him with some “green room gossip” from MSNBC.
Cuban, known for his blunt honesty and no-nonsense business style, revealed that Harris’s team actually reached out to him, asking for vetting materials. But the Shark Tank star wasn’t interested in playing the political game. “My response was I’m not very good as the number two person,” Cuban said. He added, “The last thing we need is me telling Kamala, you know, the president that, no, that’s a dumb idea. And I’m not real good at shaking hands and kissing babies.”
The billionaire’s refusal to join Harris’s ticket came down to one simple fact: politics just isn’t his thing. Cuban described himself as someone who “cuts through the sh–t more directly” and openly admitted, “I’m not a politician.” When pressed on whether his presence on the ticket might have made a difference compared to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — the actual choice Harris made — Cuban acknowledged his personality and experience were worlds apart. “It would have been different, but it would have been awful,” he joked, even saying Harris probably would have fired him within six days.
Miller pushed back, suggesting Cuban might have been a “meaningfully different” and perhaps even better pick than Walz, especially given the eventual outcome where President Trump and VP J.D. Vance decisively won the election. Cuban gave an honest, if reluctant, nod to that, admitting, “Well, yea, that’s true. But, you know, I really thought she was going to win.”
It’s a curious footnote in the 2024 campaign history, especially considering Cuban was a high-profile surrogate for Harris, campaigning actively on her behalf. He even stirred controversy during a “The View” appearance, where he claimed President Trump “does not surround himself with strong, intelligent women.” Cuban later tried to walk back the remarks, going so far as to congratulate Trump on winning the election “fair and square.”
What does this episode say about the state of the Democrat Party’s bench? Cuban’s straightforward, business-first style might have shaken up the campaign trail, but it seems the Democratic leadership ultimately preferred the safe, predictable path. They went with a seasoned politician in Walz instead of an outsider who could have brought fresh energy and perhaps some real teeth to the ticket.
For conservatives, Cuban’s candid admission only reinforces the Democrats’ weakness: their reluctance to embrace real change or outsider voices who don’t toe the party line. It also underscores just how unusual and, frankly, desperate the 2024 Democrat campaign was — casting about for viable options to stand next to a faltering candidate.
In the end, Cuban made the right call for himself, but his glimpse behind the scenes offers a rare look at the chaos and second-guessing swirling in the Democrat camp. Meanwhile, America witnessed the clear choice between an outsider willing to shake things up and the entrenched establishment that delivered another crushing defeat.
If only Democrats had listened.
