Howard Schultz officially ends bid for White House in 2020

Back in June, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that he would not officially answer whether he was running for president or not until after Labor Day.

Now, he’s officially ending his ambiguous may-or-may-not run at the White House for 2020.

Schultz discusses Gov. Inslee and Trump

“My belief in the need to reform our two-party system has not wavered, but I have concluded that an independent campaign for the White House is not how I can best serve our country at this time,” Schultz said in a lengthy letter posted Friday to his personal website.

In it, he cites a handful of contributing factors in his decision not to run. That includes the possibility that his campaign would be redundant should a similarly moderate candidate grace the Democratic ticket.

He also noted a back injury in April — as well as three resulting surgeries — as figuring in to his announcement.

He did not endorse a candidate currently in the Democratic field, but he did levy criticism against a political climate “largely tuned out of political online and in the news, leaving the extreme voices to define the debate.”

Schultz faced fire from Democrats early on in his campaign, concerned he would divide the party’s core voting base, and hand President Donald Trump an easy path toward reelection.

“Since 2005, Howard Schultz has only voted in 11 of 38 elections — you’ve not done your duty and responsibility as a citizen,” said Washington State Democratic Chair Tina Podlodowski at a January rally in Seattle.

Inslee tells Schultz to run as a Democrat, or not at all

“Just don’t!” protesters yelled in response outside the Moore Theatre.

“I am here on behalf of everyone in this county and this country who has a memory, who remembers when Ralph Nader’s ego got in the way of Al Gore becoming president,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, who spoke directly after Podlowski.

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