A number of top Democrats say President Donald Trump could win a second term if former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz runs for president.
Schultz said he is considering a bid for the 2020 presidential election as an independent during an interview that airs during this Sunday’s 60 minutes.
Democrat Julián Castro, who was the Obama administration’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development and recently announced his own bid for the race, spoke out against a possible Schultz run during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“I have a concern that if he did run, that essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected,” Castro said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.
Schultz, a Democrat himself, sees his possible run as a way to break from party-oriented politics, according to The Atlantic. He has already spent the past year hiring consultants, The Atlantic reports.
“We’re living at a most-fragile time,” Schultz told CBS’s Scott Pelley. “Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what’s necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics.”
Although 57% of American voters now disapprove of Trump’s job, Castro added that the President’s support is about 42% no matter which Democrat ultimately runs against him. If an independent party were to appeal to enough undecided voters, Trump could win the 2020 race.
Other Democrats that have spoken out against the prospect include former Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and even the Democratic Party of Washington State, the HuffPost reports.
— Washington Democrats (@washdems) January 26, 2019
“I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make,” Castro said.