Former Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz is delaying his decision about mounting an independent campaign for the presidency while assessing the chances of ex-Vice President Joe Biden winning win the Democratic Party nomination, according to sources.
“I’m getting this from people close to the campaign, one of the factors is Joe Biden and Joe Biden’s potential success or failure,” Fox Business' Charlie Gasparino told "Cavuto: Coast to Coast" host Neil Cavuto Wednesday. "If Joe Biden wins, wins as a moderate … the chances of [Schultz] running, I’m told by people with direct knowledge of the matter, are very low."
Should Biden be picked, his campaign would focus on similar issues to Schultz, a life-long Democrat who had said he would run as an independent out of concerns that the party has shifted to the left.
Biden is the current frontrunner with early polling leads in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, leading Schultz to push back a decision expected sometime this summer.
Gasparino reports that those close to Schultz say he may wait until early 2020 to decide if he will run for office, so he can watch how Biden will compete against more left-leaning Democratic candidates.
Schultz spokeswoman Erin McPike confirmed the reports to Cavuto.
“If Joe Biden were to emerge as the nominee and not a bloodied nominee, still more of a moderate Democrat, I think Howard would probably think twice about (running)” she said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.