Howard Schultz congratulated Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for entering his second consecutive race for president.
“Congratulations to Sen. Sanders on joining the race for president,” Schultz’ press secretary Erin McPike said in a statement Tuesday. “He already has had such a profound impact on the Democratic Party that many presidential candidates hold up his self-described socialist views as their standard.”
On Tuesday Sanders launched his bid to become the Democratic nominee in 2020 after losing to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries.
McPike said in the statement that when working as the CEO of Starbucks, Schultz was dedicated to growing the company into one that offered benefits for even part-time employees at the coffee chain.
“We look forward to continuing this civic debate with a robust discussion about what the American people want and what is going to ensure the promise of our country to all of its citizens,” the statement reads.
Schultz expressed interest last month in running for president in 2020 on an independent ticket, which he received a lot of backlash for, especially in the Democratic Party, which felt Schultz would split the Democratic vote.
There are now a dozen Democrats running in the primary race, including Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, among others.
Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, has raised more money in the wake of his announcement than the other candidates, pulling in $3.3 million in the first 12 hours.
