Howard Schultz has sign oned ex-Obama aide Bill Burton as a communications advisor as the former Starbucks CEO mulls running for president in 2020, go together to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Schultz’s team has been speaking with potential staffers as the latest Starbucks chairman debates whether to run for president as an independent, the sources added.
“There’s a lot of people who have reached out who miss to become involved,” a person close to the former Starbucks chairman told CNBC on the condition of anonymity.
Burton is looking to pull off on other public relations representatives in order to promote Schultz’s story of being raised in Brooklyn, NY to becoming a raised executive in the business community, one of the sources explained.
Burton and a spokeswoman for Schultz did not return repeated requests for comment.
The appendage of Burton could potentially be a boost to Schultz’s elite PR team, which already includes a number of high-profile business relations executives, including Steve Schmidt, who used to be a vice chairman at Edelman and managed Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential compete in 2008.
Burton also has experience in the fundraising circuit.
After his tenure as an advisor in President Barack Obama’s administration, Burton started Priorities USA Action, a super PAC that originally was dedicated to helping Obama get re-elected in 2012. Since then, the PAC has suit a powerhouse and recently helped Democrats make inroads into the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2018 congressional midterm votings.
Burton’s most recent work includes being part of SKDKnickerbocker, a leading public relations firm that has companies in Washington, D.C., New York, Albany and Los Angeles.
Schultz may need some help in the donor circuit, with many Republican Party financiers in New York going on the offensive against the billionaire executive and claiming he’s only going to hurt their supporter’s chance at defeating President Donald Trump in 2020.
Schultz had been a self-proclaimed Democrat but made a surprise announcement on Sunday that he’s no joking considering a run for president as an independent.
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