Starbucks ‘Dragged Into’ Presidential Race as Schultz Considers Run

Big consumer brands generally try to avoid politics. Starbucks might not have a choice.

With Howard Schultz, who built Starbucks Corp. into a global brand, considering an independent run for the White House, the world’s largest coffee chain could get pulled into the contentious politics of a presidential election. And while it’s toed a political line in the past with public stances on hot-button issues, a Schultz run could take that to a whole new level -- perhaps to the detriment of the chain’s U.S. growth plans.