Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejected Democratic complaints that his Independent 2020 campaign will guarantee President Trump’s re-election, and said Democrats themselves will guarantee a Trump victory by nominating a “radical left” nominee.
“The stakes are too high to cross our fingers and hope the Democratic Party nominates a moderate who can win over enough independents and disaffected Republicans, and even fellow Democrats, to defeat Trump next year,” Schultz wrote in a blog post Monday. “That any opponent can oust Trump, no matter how far to the radical left they are, is a fallacy.”
“Those so concerned about a centrist independent being a spoiler should perhaps ask another question: Will the eventual Democratic nominee be the party’s own version of a spoiler?” Schultz wrote.
Schultz has been criticized since he announced last month that he was considering running as a third-party candidate. The billionaire reiterated that he won’t run if he sees himself as a spoiler, but said he sees a potential path to the White House for a centrist independent.
“I hear and respect this overriding concern, and have repeatedly promised that I will not be a spoiler. I am committed to ensuring that I will do nothing to re-elect Donald Trump. I mean it,” he wrote.
In the coming weeks, he said, he plans to share his vision on how a centrist independent would lead the country.
