Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, has hired three ex-journalists as he prepares for a third-party presidential campaign.
The shadow campaign includes former senior Washington Post editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who joined forces with Schultz, 65, four years ago; Erin McPike, a consultant and former reporter at CNN, RealClearPolitics, and National Journal; and Joanne Gordon, a former Forbes journalist.
Chandrasekaran and Gordon have co-authored books with Schultz, a billionaire openly weighing a centrist third-party bid, rejecting both President Trump’s agenda and ascendant Democratic policies, such as ending private health insurance in favor of a government system.
“It’s a smart move,” said R.C. Hammond, a veteran Republican strategist. “The media narrative can determine the health of any campaign. Who understands what motivates a reporter better than a reporter?”
As a reporter, Chandrasekaran covered the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other topics. McPike focused on domestic news and politics. Gordon reported on business and wealth.
A prize-winning book by Chandrasekeran, who rose to become national editor of the Washington Post, was the inspiration for the 2010 movie “Green Zone,” starring Matt Damon.
He is a close confidant of Schultz, traveling the country with him and producing a video documentary series. Staff at the Washington Post were surprised in 2015 when Chandrasekaran, seen as a possible future editor-in-chief, ended his journalism career after being lured away by what reporters presumed was a huge paycheck from Schultz.
Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for four recent GOP presidential campaigns, including the 2016 bid by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, said the former journalists bring to the table relationships with old colleagues.
“Reporters trust them, and that is a tremendous asset,” Stewart said. “This allows them to help shape the facts and often the feelings of your message. The reality is voters are not concerned about whether or not a candidate knows how much a box of Cheerios costs, but they do want to feel as though the candidate cares if they can afford a box of Cheerios for their family. An experienced team can help convey that message.”
Jesse Benton, a Republican operative who worked on former Rep. Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign and chaired Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s 2014 re-election campaign, said hiring ex-reporters was “a very shrewd move by Mr. Schultz” and likely would help with communicating the campaign’s vision to voters.
“A huge piece of running for president is constructing and then driving a long-term media narrative about the candidate and their vision,” Benton said. “This narrative is such a big part of a presidential run that one could argue it matches or even outweighs a candidate’s paid voter contact efforts.”
None of the former journalists responded to requests for comment.
Other recently employed aides to Schultz include Republican operative Steve Schmidt and Democrat Bill Burton, a former spokesman for President Barack Obama.
It’s not unprecedented for presidential campaigns to hire ex-journalists. Obama’s chief strategist David Alexrod worked eight years for the Chicago Tribune before entering politics in 1984. Eric Fehrnstrom, a top aide to GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, reported for the Boston Herald.
Former Hillary Clinton campaign aide Adam Parkhomenko, who is not currently supporting a 2020 Democratic candidate, opposes a Schultz independent bid but said he sees the logic in recent hires.
“Former reporters could be an incredible addition to a campaign,” Parkhomenko said. “Some reporters see campaigns as a way to extend their service to the public.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “this appears to be an instance where money trumps public service.”
It’s unclear if the journalism affiliations will matter to voters as the potential campaign progresses. But experts say they probably won’t.
Hammond, who worked as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s spokesman during the 2012 GOP primary, said the ex-journalists are unlikely to be a liability, even in an era where top news brands have been politicized, in part by Trump’s charge of “fake news” against the Post and CNN.
“The public cares about the candidate, not the counselors,” said Hammond, who more recently advised former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
“You shouldn’t be shooting at a staffer, you should be shooting at a candidate,” agreed Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, a Democratic consultant who worked on the 2008 presidential campaign of then-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina before endorsing Trump in 2016.
Saunders added some unsolicited advice for Schultz: “Just because you’re successful at one thing doesn’t mean you will be successful as a politician. It’s a different game.”
Schultz’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
