Howard Schultz announced a possible independent presidential run, and some liberals are already calling for a boycott of the company he used to run — Starbucks.
Schultz, a lifelong Democrat, told CBS’s Scott Pelley on Sunday that he believed the party had moved too far to the left and that both major parties were “broken.” (RELATED: Former Starbucks CEO Explains Why He Might Run As An Independent)
“I will run as a centrist independent, outside of the two party system,” he said. “Both parties are consistently not doing what’s necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged every single day in revenge politics.”
Within hours, many liberals were attacking Schultz over what some called a “vanity” run. Apparently concerned that he could siphon votes away from the Democratic candidate, some proposed a boycott.
Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I’m not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. https://t.co/epUYVrcEg8
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) January 26, 2019
If Howard Schultz gets into the presidential race, @MoveOn, @IndivisibleTeam, the @DNC, the major unions, and the major presidential campaigns should all use their email lists to promote a Starbucks boycott until he drops out.
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) January 27, 2019
This legitimately would justify a Starbucks boycott, and even a minimally effective one would probably get him to back down https://t.co/bHOavf9zWu
— MDavid Klion (@DavidKlion) January 26, 2019
.@HowardSchultz: My family will not step foot in a @Starbucks until you make clear you will not run for president in 2020. Stick to what you do best: selling overpriced coffee and tea for the masses… #BoycottStarbucks #Starbucks
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) January 28, 2019
Billionaire @HowardSchultz has been ratio’d on all of his first three tweets.
On his first day, it is clear he isn’t running to win, but instead running as a spoiler. Payback for the tax cuts Trump gave him?#BoycottStarbucks
— Bob Brigham (@BobBrigham) January 28, 2019
Just bought https://t.co/EOXp9AqUzI
Let’s see if Schultz has the same enthusiasm for running when all his wealthy buddies see their Starbucks stock drop. #BoycottStarbucks
— Nate Lerner (@NathanLerner) January 28, 2019
Just bought https://t.co/EOXp9AqUzI
Let’s see if Schultz has the same enthusiasm for running when all his wealthy buddies see their Starbucks stock drop. #BoycottStarbucks
— Nate Lerner (@NathanLerner) January 28, 2019
Schultz stepped down as CEO of the Seattle-based coffee empire at the end of the year in 2016, turning the company over to current CEO Kevin Johnson. But as of the most recent SEC filings in June of 2018, Schultz is still the majority stakeholder in the company. He owns 33 million shares directly and another 1.7 million through trusts.
In a Monday report from Axios, however, Schultz seemed unbothered by his early critics in what he referred to as “the Twitter primary.”
He explained, “I’m concerned about one thing: Doing everything I can to help families who have been left behind, and to restore dignity and honor back in the Oval Office.”