Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, is exploring running for president as an independent candidate, two people familiar with his thinking told CNN.

A person close to Schultz’s advisers said they “are exploring a possible independent bid for the presidency in 2020,” but the person emphasized that all options remained on the table.

“(Schultz) is thinking deeply about his future and how he can best serve the country,” the person said.

Schultz stepped down from his position at Starbucks last year, and he said at the time he may consider a White House bid.

He went on to criticize President Donald Trump, citing both “vitriolic behavior” from the Trump administration and a cut to corporate taxes during an interview with CNBC in June. At the time, he said, “President Trump has given license to the fact that someone who is not a politician could potentially run for the presidency.”

In the same interview, Schultz knocked Democrats for proposals he deemed too left-wing, including single-payer health care and guaranteed income. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said in response that Schultz’s remark was “dead wrong.”

Schultz is one of many around the country said to be considering a bid to challenge Trump in 2020, and the prospect of an independent candidacy would come as the Democratic field grows ever wider. On Monday, California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris announced she would enter the race.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also a billionaire businessman, said previously he was considering a bid as well, but that if he did so, he would run as a Democrat, not believing a candidate outside the two major parties could succeed.

Third party and independent candidates failed to break out in the 2016 election, and no independent candidate has broken into the double digits since businessman Ross Perot’s 1992 independent bid garnered nearly 20% of the popular vote. </s> (CNN) — Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, is exploring running for president as an independent candidate, two people familiar with his thinking told CNN.

A person close to Schultz’s advisers said they “are exploring a possible independent bid for the presidency in 2020,” but the person emphasized that all options remained on the table.

“(Schultz) is thinking deeply about his future and how he can best serve the country,” the person said.

Schultz stepped down from his position at Starbucks last year, and he said at the time he may consider a White House bid.

He went on to criticize President Donald Trump, citing both “vitriolic behavior” from the Trump administration and a cut to corporate taxes during an interview with CNBC in June. At the time, he said, “President Trump has given license to the fact that someone who is not a politician could potentially run for the presidency.”

In the same interview, Schultz knocked Democrats for proposals he deemed too left-wing, including single-payer health care and guaranteed income. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said in response that Schultz’s remark was “dead wrong.”

Schultz is one of many around the country said to be considering a bid to challenge Trump in 2020, and the prospect of an independent candidacy would come as the Democratic field grows ever wider. On Monday, California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris announced she would enter the race.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also a billionaire businessman, said previously he was considering a bid as well, but that if he did so, he would run as a Democrat, not believing a candidate outside the two major parties could succeed.

Third party and independent candidates failed to break out in the 2016 election, and no independent candidate has broken into the double digits since businessman Ross Perot’s 1992 independent bid garnered nearly 20% of the popular vote. </s> SEATTLE (AP) — The possibility that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz might launch an independent run for the presidency is not playing well with Democrats in his home state.

"I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just. Don't," said Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the Washington Democratic Party, in a statement, the Seattle Times reported .

"Too much is at stake to make this about the ambitions of any one person," she said. "The 2020 race for President has to be about relegating Donald Trump to the dustbin of history, and reclaiming the Oval Office for our people and our future."

Democrats fear an independent candidacy might split the anti-Trump vote in 2020 and secure Trump's re-election. Podlodowski said Schultz has claimed to be a lifelong Democrat and should run as one if he's interested in an office.

"You can even start at home, with the Washington State Democratic Party," she said.

Schultz has not cultivated substantial political connections in his home state. He's also remembered by basketball fans as the former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics.

After failing to persuade legislators to upgrade facilities with public money, Schultz and his co-owners sold the team to a group that moved the team in 2008 to Oklahoma City.

Schultz for years has hinted that he might want to enter politics as a centrist problem solver. He's promoting a new book, "From the Ground UP: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America." It will be released Jan. 28. </s> Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is considering challenging Donald Trump in the 2020 election and making a run for President in 2020 as an independent candidate.

Schultz, a Democrat and successful businessman, could be a contender Trump.

A person close to Schultz's advisers said they 'are exploring a possible independent bid for the presidency in 2020,' but the person emphasized that all options remained on the table.

'Schultz is thinking deeply about his future and how he can best serve the country,' the person said.

Schultz stepped down from his position at Starbucks last year and said at the time he was considering a White House bid, according to CNN.

Schultz has not been afraid to criticize President Trump, citing his 'vitriolic behavior'.

Speaking on CNBC last June he said, 'President Trump has given license to the fact that someone who is not a politician could potentially run for the presidency.'

In the same interview, Schultz knocked Democrats for proposals he deemed too left-wing, including single-payer health care and guaranteed income.

Late last year, Schultz, who is also preparing a book tour for his new memoir, brought on board Steve Schmidt, a former vice chairman at public relations powerhouse Edelman, who previously managed the late Republican Senator McCain's presidential campaign.

Cheryl Cook, a longtime executive vice president at Edelman, is representing Schultz currently and will remain on board through his book tour.

Meanwhile, Schultz has hired another adviser, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who he worked with throughout his tenure at Starbucks.

Chandrasekaran was previously a senior correspondent at The Washington Post.

Political pundits say the public relations and advisory team Schultz has brought on is a signal that he is a sure sign he will run despite that he has yet to visit the places like Iowa and New Hampshire, where potential candidates have already begun campaigning in.

Schultz, 65, stepped down as Starbucks CEO in 2017, though he remains chairman emeritus. He has an estimated net worth of about $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.

However, the possibility he might run is not playing well with Democrats in his home state.

'I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just. Don't,' said Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the Washington Democratic Party, in a statement, the Seattle Times reported .

'Too much is at stake to make this about the ambitions of any one person,' she said. 'The 2020 race for President has to be about relegating Donald Trump to the dustbin of history, and reclaiming the Oval Office for our people and our future.'

Democrats fear an independent candidacy might split the anti-Trump vote in 2020 and secure Trump's re-election.

Podlodowski said Schultz has claimed to be a lifelong Democrat and should run as one if he's interested in an office.

'You can even start at home, with the Washington State Democratic Party,' she said.

Schultz has not cultivated substantial political connections in his home state.

Schultz for years has hinted that he might want to enter politics as a centrist problem solver. He's promoting a new book, 'From the Ground UP: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America.' It will be released January 28.

Meanwhile, the Democratic field appears to be ever-widening. On Monday, California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris announced she would enter the race.

Another billionaire businessman, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has also said he is considering a bid as well but has said that he would run as a Democrat, believing it unlikely that an independent candidate could succeed.

During the 2016 election, third party and independent candidates failed to break out and no independent candidate has broken into the double digits since businessman Ross Perot won nearly 20% of the popular vote in 1992 </s> Democrats decry Shultz idea to run as independent in 2020

SEATTLE (AP) — The possibility that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz might launch an independent run for the presidency is not playing well with Democrats in his home state.

"I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just. Don't," said Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the Washington Democratic Party, in a statement, the Seattle Times reported .

"Too much is at stake to make this about the ambitions of any one person," she said. "The 2020 race for President has to be about relegating Donald Trump to the dustbin of history, and reclaiming the Oval Office for our people and our future."

Democrats fear an independent candidacy might split the anti-Trump vote in 2020 and secure Trump's re-election. Podlodowski said Schultz has claimed to be a lifelong Democrat and should run as one if he's interested in an office.

"You can even start at home, with the Washington State Democratic Party," she said.

Schultz has not cultivated substantial political connections in his home state. He's also remembered by basketball fans as the former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics.

After failing to persuade legislators to upgrade facilities with public money, Schultz and his co-owners sold the team to a group that moved the team in 2008 to Oklahoma City.

Schultz for years has hinted that he might want to enter politics as a centrist problem solver. He's promoting a new book, "From the Ground UP: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America." It will be released Jan. 28. </s> Howard Schultz is leaving his job at Starbucks — and says he may consider running for president.

Starbucks announced Monday that Schultz, a former CEO and the most prominent face of the company, will step down later this month as executive chairman.

In an interview with The New York Times, he acknowledged that he may consider a bid for the White House.

“I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines,” he said. “For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.”

Schultz, one of the most politically outspoken corporate leaders in America, has been rumored before as a potential Democratic candidate.

He has spoken frequently about race, and Starbucks has taken progressive stances on social issues — including gay marriage, immigration and President Trump’s travel ban. Last year, the company said it plans to hire 10,000 refugees over five years.

Starbucks has also been a leader in workers’ benefits under Schultz. Since 1988, Starbucks has offered health care to all full-time and part-time employees. In March, the company said it reached gender and race pay equity for all US employees.

Schultz started at Starbucks in 1982 and served as chief executive from 1987 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2017. He is leaving at a tumultuous moment in Starbucks’ history.

The company drew protests in April after two black men were arrested while they were waiting inside a Philadelphia store. Starbucks closed 8,000 stores for an afternoon last week to teach employees about racial bias.

“We realize that four hours of training is not going to solve racial inequity in America,” Schultz told CNN’s Poppy Harlow last week. But he said, “We need to have the conversation. We need to start.”

Schultz has addressed race before. After the police shooting death of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, Starbucks asked baristas to write “Race Together” on coffee cups in hopes of starting conversations.

“It’s not going to solve racism, but I do believe it is the right thing to do at this time,” Schultz said at the time.

And in a speech to Starbucks shareholders in 2016, Schultz said he feared that the opportunities that allowed him to achieve his American Dream — he grew up in subsidized housing in Brooklyn — have escaped the grasp of too many people.

“The American Dream can’t be only accessible to people of privilege who are white and live in the right zip code,” he said.

In an email to Starbucks employees obtained by CNNMoney, Schultz did not address a future in politics. He expressed gratitude and encouraged the employees to foster a “sense of community and human connection.”

“I still feel like a kid from Brooklyn who grew up in public housing,” he said. “I am living the American Dream.” </s> Howard Schultz to step down as Starbucks executive chairman

After nearly 40 years and an overhaul of the coffee industry as the world knows it, Howard Schultz is stepping down from his post at Starbucks.

Starbucks announced the decision Monday, with Schultz scheduled to bow out from his position on June 26.

Schultz, who transitioned from CEO to executive chairman in April 2017, helped grow Starbucks into the global household name it is today. Schultz's tenure saw Starbucks grow from 11 stores around Seattle to more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries.

The Seattle-based coffee chain also announced that they would be appointing Myron E. Ullman, the former chairman of JCPenney, as its new chair of the board, and Mellody Hobson as vice chair of the board effective upon Schultz's retirement.

According to the New York Times, Schultz outlined his plan to retire to the Starbucks board a year ago – stoking speculation that he plans to make a presidential run for the 2020 elections. Schultz has been vocal about his distaste for President Donald Trump, stating last year that Trump is "a president that is creating episodic chaos every day."

"I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines," he told The New York Times. "For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.

"One of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back."

Schultz declined to say much more on the matter, noting only that he intended to "think about a range of options, and that could include public service," but that he didn't need to run for public office to accomplish that.

Among that range of options, Starbucks says Schultz will have the honorary title of chairman emeritus as of June 26. It says he is writing a book about Starbucks' social impact efforts.

His time with the company dates back to 1981, when he walked into the first Starbucks store in downtown Seattle. The next year, he and his wife moved from New York to assume the role of director of operations and marketing, where he famously changed the chain to be more in line with the coffee bars he encountered in Italy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> Howard Schultz, the Starbucks executive who oversaw the Seattle coffeehouse chain’s global expansion, will step down as the company’s executive chairman of the board on June 26, the company confirmed on Monday.

Schultz, 64, spent four decades working at Starbucks. He served as the company’s CEO from 1987 to 2000 and returned to the role for a second stint from 2008 to 2016, when he was replaced by current CEO Kevin Johnson.

“I set out to build a company that my father, a blue-collar worker and World War II veteran, never had a chance to work for,” Schultz wrote in a letter to Starbucks employees. “Together we’ve done that, and so much more, by balancing profitability and social conscience, compassion and rigor, and love and responsibility.”

Starbucks shares slid in after-hours trading on the announcement.

A prominent critic of President Donald Trump, Schultz has long been rumored to have political aspirations. Schultz said earlier this year that the Trump administration “is creating episodic chaos” in the country.

“I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines,” Schultz told The New York Times on Monday. “For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.”

“One of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back,” he added. “I’m not exactly sure what that means yet.”

Starbucks said the company’s stock rose more than 21,000% since its 1992 initial public offering. Myron Ullman, the former chairman and CEO of retail giant J.C. Penney, will replace Schultz as executive chairman of the board.

“There are no words to fully express our gratitude to Howard for the extraordinary company he has built,” Johnson said in a statement. “He’s helped Starbucks earn the respect of millions around the world by always being true to a higher calling, and always being bold in creating a better future. He’s taught all of us that it’s possible to be a very different kind of public company. That must, and will, continue on my watch.”

Starbucks has more than 28,000 store locations across 77 countries. Schultz's departure came weeks after Starbucks revamped its store policies following the arrests of two customers at a Philadelphia store location. </s> Howard Schultz, the man who built a few coffee shops into an empire, is leaving Starbucks — stepping down as the company's chairman.
Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, is reported to be exploring an independent candidacy for President of the United States in 2020.