Many longtime democratic strategists believe this is a nightmare scenario.  Former Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz had the biggest audience of his life last night on “60 Minutes” (watch above) and left little doubt that he would run for president as an independent.  Schultz is a lifelong Democrat but he’s been hinting for months that he didn’t agree with his party’s move to the left.  Now, the billionaire who could easily self-fund his own campaign has made it all but official.

“I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent. This moment is like no other. Our two parties are more divided than ever. Let’s discuss how we can come together to create opportunities for more people.”

Schultz is going to spend the next three months touring the country, talking to people and promoting his book, From The Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America. But before he sets foot outside Seattle, Schultz has Democrats on the ledge.  They feel a Schultz candidacy will only take away votes from the Democratic candidate and hand the White House back to Donald Trump.

https://twitter.com/dmulls95/status/1089871612218884099

There are some people though who don’t see it that way.

Schultz told Axios’ Mike Allen that he will officially decide whether to enter the race in spring or summer.

“I think I’ve got plenty of time,” he said. “I’ll gauge the level of interest in what I’ve come to believe over the last year — that a choice between Donald Trump and a far-left-leaning progressive Democrat provides a wide and large opportunity.”

As for how Donald Trump feels about having Schultz as a potential competitor. Here’s what he said.