Potential presidential candidate Howard Schultz had his first “town hall” event last month with CNN and has a second one scheduled with Fox News in April – and he hasn’t even decided if he’s running.
Democrats are furious with all the attention he’s getting because Schultz is planning to run as a “Centrist Independent.” This is great news for conservatives, because it means his campaign will siphon votes away from the Democratic nominee and potentially help Trump get re-elected.
In response to that opinion, Schultz said his campaign would attract support from all parties and warned Democrats they were guaranteed to lose if they nominate a “progressive left-leaning liberal” like Elizabeth Warren.
Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Schultz said electing a Democrat instead of Trump would change nothing “because our politics and our government is broken.”
The outcome of a presidential election is determined by “eight to ten battleground states” when it should be determined by all 50, he explained. “What if…an Independent person could capture the imagination of the 42% of people who affiliate themselves as an Independent?”
Republicans and Democrats don’t want to re-elect Trump and they don’t want a leftwing candidate like Elizabeth Warren, he continued. “But what if there’s a new person? What if for the first time in 40 years a 50 state – in which I’m on every ballot – really matters?”
When asked, Schultz said he did not want to abolish the electoral college.
“If we proceed, we will be on the ballot of every state,” he said. “We’ve done that work and we can get to 270 because all 50 states will matter, not 8-10.”
Why doesn’t he run as a Democrat?
Schultz says he no longer identifies as a Democrat and does not believe in the ideas the party stands for.
“I think the country needs transformation,” said Schultz. “The government needs to be disrupted. It’s not working…Show me one thing in which you can say – firmly – the government is really working.”
Schultz disagrees with socialist policies like free college, free healthcare, and jobs for all and is most concerned about the national debt (for which he blames both parties).
“I think this is a time in America for a complete re-imagination,” said Schultz. “What I’m going to try to do is go out to the American people and ignite a powerful movement… I’m hearing from thousands of American people – thousands! – saying, ‘Finally, someone’s voice that I can relate to that represents the fact that I no longer feel as if I am a Republican or a Democrat.’”
Schultz repeatedly cited his “rags to riches” background when asked why he would be a great leader.
In regards to healthcare, he is in favor of amending the Affordable Care Act rather than replacing it. He wants to see corporations do more for their employees and has vowed ‘not to play by Big Pharma’s rules. He wants comprehensive tax reform and opposes Donald Trump’s tax breaks for corporations.
Above everything else, Schultz favors cooperation between parties and wants to fix our “broken” government. “I love America and I want to try and fix the problems and help the people who are being left behind,” he said.
Schultz will announce his final decision on whether to run for president at the end of his book tour.