Former Starbucks CEO and one-time Democrat Howard Schultz, 65, has said he may run for president in 2020, and if he does he will do it as an Independent

Demcorats worry that if Schultz runs he will steal votes from their nominee, virtually guaranteeing Trump's re-election

Michael Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor who has toyed with his own independent White House campaigns, is strongly discouraging Schultz

Some liberal activists are proposing boycotts of Starbucks, of which Schultz owns a portion, until he commits to staying out of the 2020 race

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg fired a warning shot in the direction of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on Monday, saying he shouldn't mount an independent campaign for president because he could prevent the Democratic Party from defeating President Donald Trump in 2020.

Third-party White House runs tend to peel votes away from major-party candidates, splitting the support from one side in a way that benefits the other.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump himself suggested he would welcome Schultz in the race as a foil, tweeting that he did not have the 'guts' to run and was not 'the smartest.'

Democratic activists have begun to openly suggest boycotting Starbucks, a company in which Schultz maintains significant ownership, until he commits that he won't disrupt the Democrats' chances to unify behind a single anti-Trump challenger.

Bloomberg himself toyed with an independent presidenntial campaign in 2008 and 2016. He is now 76 years old and says he will run in the Democratic primary if he decides to ente rthe 2020 field.

'I faced exactly the same decision now facing others who are considering it,' he said in a statement Monday. 'The data was very clear and very consistent. Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win.'

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg (pictured on Friday) fired a warning shot in Schultz's direction on Monday, saying he shouldn't mount an independent campaign for president because he could prevent the Democratic Party from defeating President Donald Trump in 2020

Schultz said on 60 Minutes that he believes there are enough moderate voters from both parties to coalesce around a single middle-of-the-road candidate and defeat both the left and the right

'In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now,' he added.

'We must remain united, and we must not allow any candidate to divide or fracture us. The stakes couldn’t be higher.'

Schultz believes that enough moderate voters from both parties are disenchanted with the status quo to coalesce around a middle-of-the-road candidate like him.

'I believe that lifelong Democrats and lifelong Republicans are looking for a home,' he told Axios on Sunday night, while acknowledging that talk of a vote-splitting campaign 'is going to create hate, anger, disenfranchisement from friends, from Democrats.'

The prospect of Schultz, 56, unintentionally playing a spoiler role and helping Trump stay in office isn't sitting well with would-be Starbucks boycotters.

Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden tweeted: '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.'

President Trump could benefit in 2020 from a third-party or independent challenger who peels votes away from the Democratic Party's nominee

Trump dared Schultz on Monday to challenge him, tweeting that he 'doesn't have the "guts" to run for President!'

Her organization mobilized an editor at its newsy blog, Think Progress, to second the motion.

'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 wrote on Twitter.

ADVERTISEMENT

Not everyone is behind the idea. Author and radio host Carol Roth, who writes about business entrepreneurship, criticized would-be boycotters for being willing to 'impair the livelihood of myriad workers to bully someone out of running for office.'

Bloomberg has been making the rounds, speaking to Democratic groups about what he sees as an unacceptable danger associated with four more years of Trump.

'The presidency is not an entry-level job,” Bloomberg told the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia on Friday. 'There is just too much at stake.'

'The longer we have a pretend CEO who is recklessly running this country, the worse it’s going to be for our economy and for our security. This is really dangerous,' he said.

Click here to resize this module

Sunday on '60 Minutes,' Schultz suggested that his frustration with America's two-party political system has him 'seriously thinking of running for president' as an independent.

'I will run as a centrist independent outside of the two-party system,' he said, speaking in what-if terms.

'We're living at a most fragile time,' Schultz said. 'Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but also the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged every single day in revenge politics.'

President Trump fired off a tweet on Monday seemingly designed to bait Schultz into committing to a presidential campaign.

He seized on Schultz's acknowledgement on '60 Minutes' that he's 'not the smartest person in the room' and has succeeded by surrounding himself with talented advisers.

'Howard Schultz doesn’t have the “guts” to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the “smartest person”.'

'Besides, America already has that!' Trump bragged. 'I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!'

Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden and Justice editor of the organization's blog Think Progress both suggested a Starbucks boycott could be an effective way to keep Schultz out of the 2020 race

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, a Democrat who has also announced he is running for president in 2020, said on CNN: 'I have a concern that, if he did run, that, essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting reelected'

Count former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro among the Democratic naysayers.

He said Sunday on CNN that a Schultz run 'would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting reelected.'

Trump's poll numbers in recent months have mostly stayed at or below 42 per cent, he said, regardless of who is cited as his hypothetical Demorcatic opponent.

'So his only hope, if things stayed the same – and that's a big if – is essentially to get somebody else, a third party, to siphon off those votes,' Castro explained.

ADVERTISEMENT

'And I don't think that that would be in the best interest of our country. We need new leadership. And so, you know, I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make.'

Patrick McHugh, executive director of the liberal Priorities USA super PAC, told the Associated Press that 'if Schultz entered the race as an independent, we would consider him a target... We would do everything we can to ensure that his candidacy is unsuccessful.'

'The bottom line,' said McHugh, 'is that I don’t think Americans are looking for another selfish billionaire to enter the race.'