Ballot Access News has this news.

Howard Schultz has formally dropped out of the presidential race. Although he had suspended his potential independent run several months ago, until now he had not said he won’t run. See this story.

The letter Schultz wrote says there is a danger that the Democratic nomination would not be decided until after independent presidential petitions are due. This is not true. There are only two states with an independent presidential nomination deadline earlier than June, Texas and North Carolina, and both are under court attack. The quote from the Schultz letter is below.

“Unfortunately, election rules in each state and the way this Democratic nomination process has unfolded pose another challenge: It has become more likely that the Democratic nominee will not be known before the deadlines to submit the required number of signatures for an independent to get on the ballot. If I went forward, there is a risk that my name would appear on ballots even if a moderate Democrat wins the nomination, and that is not a risk I am willing to take.”

Of course it is possible that the primaries might end with no clear determination as to who the Democratic nominee would be, but that would be extraordinary. The last primaries are June 2, 2020.