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Mark Cuban: Why contrasting VP candidates could be difference in presidential race

The former majority shareholder of the Dallas Mavericks dipped back into politics Wednesday morning on X.

Mark Cuban has never been one to stick to sports.

The former majority shareholder of the Dallas Mavericks dipped back into politics on Wednesday morning, posting his thoughts about what marks the important qualities of a vice presidential candidate in 2024. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate to take on Republican Donald Trump and his No. 2, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

“I think there is a lot of confusion on the role of the VP in 2024,” Cuban wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Pre-election, the job is to campaign. Period, end of story. The right move in a 100 day or less sprint to Election Day is to add the best campaigner. The person who can connect to voters, particularly undecided voters, and get them excited to vote for your candidate in a way that matches the vibe and tone of the candidate.

“What the VP thinks about policy will make for polite conversation on the campaign plane, but is totally meaningless. The contrast between Walz and Vance can’t be any more stark. Walz talks about joy, hope and the future while being a strong counterpuncher. Vance, doesn’t talk about the future at all. Doesn’t convey positive vibes at all. He is almost exclusively negative (other when talking about his candidate).

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“That contrast could end up being the difference.”

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The two No. 2s will also get a chance to square off in almost real time this week as Walz travels with Harris to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada, while Vance will follow an overlapping itinerary to offer his own counterprograming in some places.

Walz is joining Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around former President Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates over a breakneck two-week stretch.

When the option of naming Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as Harris’ running mate was brought up by another X user, Cuban responded.

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“[In my opinion], Josh has a big political future. He has always been a hard charger. Moving up the ranks. Which is a compliment to him,” Cuban said. “When he speaks, part of the message will always be that he is next. That he can be POTUS. That’s not what the next 98 days calls for.

“Tim is happy with the role of VP and pushing [Kamala Harris] forward. Everything else is just a pundit talk.”

Last week, Cuban became the top signature of a new group of 100-plus venture capitalist investors from prominent tech regions like Silicon Valley supporting Harris in her bid for the White House.

The group, made up of names like Cuban, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, billionaire cowboy Chris Sacca and many more is calling itself VCs for Kamala and is pledging to vote for Harris in the upcoming 2024 election

The news comes shortly after Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, gained the support of other prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneurs like Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. X/Twitter owner and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has also publicly endorsed Trump. Cuban and Musk have clashed on Musk’s social media platform over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the past year.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.

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