Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said he hopes if former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz enters the 2020 race for president, it will be as a Democrat.
“I have respect for Howard Schultz. If he chooses to get in the race, I hope he gets in in the Democratic Party. We’ll treat him very fairly,” Perez told Fox News Tuesday.
Perez echoed billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said that an independent run from Schultz would split the anti-Trump vote and help him get re-elected in 2020.
“What an independent run would do in 2020 is simply split the anti-Trump vote and help Donald Trump get re-elected,” Perez said, referring to Bloomberg’s assessment. “And Howard Schultz himself said, ‘I’m only going to run if there’s a real pathway to victory,’ as opposed to simply being a spoiler.”
Lifelong Democrat Schultz said in interview with “60 Minutes” Sunday that he was considering a bid for the White House, but as an independent.
“I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent,” Schultz tweeted at the same time his interview aired. “This moment is like no other. Our two parties are more divided than ever. Let’s discuss how we can come together to create opportunities for more people.”
Schultz has faced backlash, as Democrats have expressed that it could divide the vote and lead to Trump’s re-election.
