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“Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is campaigning for Kamala Harris in Arizona

“Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is campaigning for Kamala Harris in Arizona

The desert may be an unlikely place for a shark, but “Shark Tank” star and billionaire Mark Cuban is coming to Arizona to campaign for Kamala Harris.

Cuban will be in Arizona on Oct. 19, less than three weeks before Election Day and shortly after early voting begins in the battleground state.

Cuban, a billionaire investor and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks, will present Harris' economic agenda in Phoenix. He has been a “Shark” investor on the reality TV series “Shark Tank” for more than a decade.

The race in Arizona is razor-thin, polls show, and Trump has a slight lead.

In poll after poll, Arizona voters are citing the economy as a top issue this election cycle. That's a challenge for Harris because polling data shows more voters say they trust former President Donald Trump to handle the economy better, regardless of whether they plan to vote for him.

To counter that perception, Harris is proposing an economic agenda to combat inflation that includes $25,000 in support for first-time home buyers, tax deductions for small businesses and an expansion of the child tax credit, among other things.

“Mark Cuban – a billionaire and successful businessman – has consistently sounded the alarm about Trump’s Project 2025 plan would cripple the American economy,” the Harris campaign said in a written statement. “In contrast, he has emphasized that Vice President Harris' new agenda is pro-business and would spur economic growth that helps build the middle class.”

Cuban also knows a little about a recent Harris proposal to protect crypto assets. As part of Harris' new “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,” she proposed new federal regulations on cryptocurrencies to protect investors who own the digital currency.

Cuban faced a class action lawsuit over a partnership between the Dallas Mavericks and now-defunct crypto lender Voyager Digital.

As the election approaches, Harris' campaign has flooded the state with high-profile surrogates. Former President Barack Obama will campaign in Tucson on Oct. 18, the day before Cuba's visit, and former President Bill Clinton will be in the state on Oct. 23.

Cuban has been a vocal Harris supporter on podcasts and other media this election cycle. He is also friendly with the other side of the aisle. When he came to Phoenix in 2019, he met with then-Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

Cuban had some political ambitions of his own. He considered running as an independent presidential candidate in 2020, but ultimately decided against it.

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