Democrats aren’t as worried as they once were that Schultz would hurt their chances in 2020. As Schultz’s exploration of a presidential campaign has unfolded, the gulf exposed between his politics and those of the Democratic Party’s base has only lessened Democrats’ fears. At a CNN town hall this week, Schultz said it was “premature” to say if he would divest his Starbucks holdings if elected. He said he should be paying more taxes, but he declined to offer a rate.

On race relations, he was pilloried by Democrats when he said, “I honestly don’t see color.”

In addition to Schultz’s politics, the relatively low viewership of the town hall further eased some Democrats’ minds.

“I just don’t see voters clamoring for an out-of-touch, arrogant billionaire who thinks he knows more than anybody else,” said Ben Tulchin, a Democratic pollster who worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. “I just think he’s more likely to attract country club Republicans.”