It’s been less than 24 hours since Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announced he’s interested in running on a third party ticket in 2020, and Democrats’ anger is already spilling over.
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg — another billionaire businessman eyeing the White House in 2020 — told Schultz to quit the race. “We must remain united, and we must not allow any candidate to divide or fracture us,” he pleaded. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
Rep. Julian Castro (D-Texas), another Democrat planning on running in 2020, is likewise telling Schultz to butt out, saying Sunday: “I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that [siphoning votes from Democrats] might make.”
On Monday Schultz held his first campaign style appearance at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square, New York City. Within just seconds of his appearance, rowdy Democrats began heckling him.”
“Go back to Davos with the other billionaires!” someone shouted. “Don’t re-elect Trump!”
Here’s CNN’s feed from the event:
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The Daily Beast’s Tani reports that the crowd began cheering when CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin read Bloomberg’s statement calling on Schultz to quit his Quixotic campaign.
Other Democrats are more sanguine. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell noted that Ross Perot ran in 1992 and Bill Clinton still won:
Schultz’s presidential campaign rollout is coinciding with the release of his autobiographical book, “From the Ground UP: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America.”
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