Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN, speaking last night on the Fox News show "OBJECTified," said that if he runs for president in '20, he "would do so as a Republican," according to Christopher Brennan of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Cuban said, "There's a place for somebody who's socially a centrist but I'm very fiscally conservative." He added, "We're going into a time where you need somebody who can connect to people and relate to people at a base level and appreciate what they're going through -- and I think I qualify on each of those" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/23). Meanwhile, the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Jeremy Barr noted Disney Chair & CEO BOB IGER "hasn't explicitly said he's interested" in running for president, but he "also hasn't ruled himself out." Sources said that he is "seriously considering a presidential bid, which would be perfectly timed with his plans to step down" from Disney in '19. Iger is "not the first media mogul to toy with the idea of running for president." A source said that Iger "would be a great candidate if he decides to run," but stopped short of saying that he is "encouraging him to do so." The Iger option "may be stoking enthusiasm in some quarters of the entertainment business." But outside the media bubble, Democratic strategists are "less sure how serious Iger is about running and, if he is, whether he could be a credible candidate." Perhaps the "biggest reason to take an Iger candidacy seriously is that no one thought" Trump had any shot either (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/20).
