SEATTLE (AP) – For a businessman who has given about $150,000 to Democratic campaigns, former Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz is generating tepid – or even hostile – responses within the party as he weighs a presidential bid.
That’s partly because reports have suggested he’s considering running as an independent, a prospect that many worry could draw support from the eventual Democratic nominee and hand President Donald Trump another four years in office.
The 65-year-old Seattle billionaire launches a tour Monday to promote his latest book, “From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America.” He has stops in New York; Tempe, Arizona; Seattle; and San Francisco – but no dates for the early voting states of Iowa or New Hampshire.