Good morning. It’s not often that 66-year-old songs hit the charts. But Americans love classic Christmas music. Twelve Christmas songs are currently in the Billboard Hot 100. And three of those are from the 1950s: Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957 (at #12), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” from 1958 (at #8), and Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” from 1959 (at #35).

Today’s stories:

• Is Mark Cuban about to make an independent bid for president?

• Is George Santos going to take anyone down with him?

• Is this dog actually 31 years old?

• And much more!

Here’s today’s edition of The Elective:

 2024 

Mark Cuban just might jump in the race

Dallas Mavericks owner and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is about to be neither of those things. Cuban’s dual announcements that he’s selling his NBA team for ~$3.5 billion and leaving the hit show soon are sparking renewed rumors of a possible independent presidential bid. Let’s break it down.

Why he won’t run: Despite selling the Mavericks, he’s still going to run the team. And he’s not leaving “Shark Tank” until 2025. Furthermore, he told Axios he’s “never running for elective office.” But let’s not let that ruin our fun.

Why he might run: Cuban’s flirted with a presidential bid for years. Selling the Mavericks gives him billions in cash to fund a campaign. And the competition is weak. President Biden is 81 and unpopular, and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is 77 and also unpopular. Mark Cuban is 65 years old. If he ever wants to run, now is the time.

What would he need to do?

If Mark Cuban wants to become President Cuban, he's got a long road ahead.

School: Many aspiring presidents, particularly those with no foreign policy experience, go to candidate school before launching their campaigns. They assemble a team of smart advisors on every subject under the sun. And they go to school. A single blown answer to a tough question can end a campaign. Cuban would need to know his stuff inside and out.

Staff: Without staffers, there is no campaign. Cuban would need a huge group of folks with presidential campaign experience. He would need strategists, pollsters, communicators, schedulers, and more. Why is this hard? Because nearly all these people are partisan Republicans and Democrats.

Ballots: A major challenge for independent campaigns is simply getting on the ballot. Every state runs its own elections and has its own rules. Major political parties typically make the ballot by default. But Cuban's campaign would need 50 well-oiled machines running nationwide focusing on this alone. For instance, he might need hundreds of thousands of signatures from registered voters.

Strategy: The two major parties pretty much have this down. They mostly stick to the swing states. But where does an independent candidate focus? Alaska, Utah, and Maine have a history of strong third-party support. But that's only 13 electoral votes. He would need a plan to get 270.

Competition: Presumably, Cuban would want Trump to win the Republican nomination. By March 5, 23 states will have already voted in the primary. If Trump looks good by then, Cuban can jump in.

The road to victory for independents is extremely difficult. The most successful modern example at the national level was another Dallas billionaire business executive in his 60s — Ross Perot in 1992. That year, Perot made the debates. But ended up with only 19% of the vote and a cool zero electoral votes. Which is why Mark Cuban almost certainly won't run for president.

 NEWS 

🇺🇸 Supreme Court: Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor passed away Friday aged 93. Appointed to the Court by President Reagan in 1981, she was the first woman to serve in that role. Earlier in her career, she became the first woman to serve as a state Senate's majority leader. O’Connor was a moderate conservative. As an example of how politics have changed, the Senate confirmed her nomination 99-0. Recent justices get on average only 52 votes. She retired in 2006 on account of her husband's Alzheimer’s and was replaced by current Justice Samuel Alito. O'Connor, like many federal judges of all levels, retired and took "senior status." That meant she continued to serve part-time on lower federal courts as a visiting judge. Sandra Day O'Connor died at her Arizona home due to complications of dementia and a respiratory illness. Chief Justice John Roberts called her "a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law."

🇵🇭 South China Sea: The Philippine Coast Guard deployed two new vessels into the bordering South China Sea. They say the move is a response to an "alarming" uptick in Chinese vessels within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). An EEZ is an area extending 200 nautical miles from a nation's coast. While it remains international water with respect to travel, an EEZ gives that country exclusive economic rights in the area (like energy production and fishing). It comes from the 1982 UN Law of the Sea treaty signed by both nations in question.

Due to the woes of geography, China has a relatively small EEZ. A bunch of nearby island nations (see: Philippines, the) prevent China's EEZ from extending the full distance. Despite this, China claims 90% of the South China Sea as its own. Because why let reality get in the way of a good time? To strengthen its claim, China is quite literally building new islands. And, according to the Philippines, sending more than 135 armed (but non-military) boats into what should be the Philippines' own EEZ. Hence their response and this story.

 POLITICS 

Rep. George Santos (R) was expelled from the House on Friday. This is the first expulsion since 2002 and only the third since the Civil War. But Santos isn’t going down quietly. He went hog wild on social media, threatening to file ethics complaints against other members and expose their misdeeds. Now that Santos’ former seat is vacant, the work continues. The House itself will take over outstanding constituent casework until his replacement is sworn in. Per New York law, the seat will be filled via a special election. Gov. Kathy Hochul will, within certain bounds, choose the date. The winner will serve the rest of the term ending Jan. 3, 2024. The race is likely to be competitive.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) debated California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) late last week. Fox News (and conservative radio) host Sean Hannity ran the showdown. This was a typical partisan political fight between one guy who’s running for president and one guy who isn’t (yet). So what’s in it for them? For DeSantis, it's debate experience and a preview for primary voters of what they'll get in the general election if they support him. The value for Newsom is simple. He wants to be president. But he's boxed out of running by President Biden's reelection bid. Keeping his name in the news and honing his debate skills is all he can do at the moment to support his ambitions. So what did they say? About what you'd expect. Aside from, you know, DeSantis holding up a map of San Francisco's poop problem.

More than three dozen lawmakers have already announced retirements next year. And more are likely to follow. While some are running for other offices, many are giving politics up for good in the face of D.C. dysfunction. Longtime Rep. Earl Blumenauer said “I like the work, but the politics just no longer made it worth it.” Others echoed his sentiment. The loss of longtime members on both sides of the aisle could tip the balance of power in 2025. With Santos out, Republicans cling to a tiny four-vote majority. You can bet both parties are begging strong incumbents, particularly those in swing districts, to stay on for another term.

 TRIVIA 

 BRIEFS 

🇫🇷 A German tourist was murdered with a hammer near the Eiffel Tower in what French President Emmanuel Macron called "a terrorist attack." Two others were injured. Police arrested the assailant. He has a history of terrorist activity and was known to French authorities.

🇧🇷 Brazilian President Lula da Silva (aka Lula) wants to lead oil-producing countries away from oil and toward green energy. So his country is joining OPEC+, a cooperative group of 23 oil-producing nations (the U.S. is not a member).

🦠 CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told Congress the recent surge of respiratory illness in northern China is not due to a “new or novel pathogen.” Phew.

⭐ Macaulay Culkin was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday. His fake movie mom, Home Alone’s Catherine O'Hara, spoke at the ceremony.

🐶 Bobi, the world’s oldest dog, sadly passed away in October at a mind-boggling 31 years old. His age was even verified by Guinness World Records. Problem is, the whole thing might be a complete fraud.

🎲 Hilariously, there’s a Britney Spears-themed version of Monopoly. Because who needs Boardwalk when you have “…Baby One More Time”? Amazon has it for $38.

🇲🇽 Mexico will not elect a 35-year-old president next year. Nuevo Leon’s young Gov. Samuel Garcia dropped out of the race yesterday.

 ANSWER 

Despite his warnings on the dangers of political parties, the only independent president in U.S. history was our very first, George Washington.