Howard Schultz says he's taking a 'detour' from exploring his 2020 candidacy while recovering from back surgeries

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz won't be doing any more 2020 campaign exploring until September.

Schultz announced in January that he was "seriously considering" running for president in 2020. But after an early media blitz and a series of appearances across the country, he mostly dropped off the radar in recent weeks, sparking questions about what exactly the status of his potential campaign was and whether he was still exploring a candidacy.

In a letter on Wednesday, Schultz addressed his absence, saying that he had to "cut my travels short" after experiencing back pain while in Arizona, and that he underwent three back surgeries over the course of two months. "Today, I am feeling much better, and my doctors foresee a full recovery so long as I rest and rehabilitate. I have decided to take the summer to do just that."

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A previous report from Fox Business suggested that Schultz delayed his campaign decision to see whether former Vice President Joe Biden would emerge as the likely nominee, with the report saying that "this would be a significant impediment to Schultz running for president since his campaign would focus on similar issues to Biden."

Schultz in his Wednesday letter said he's taking "this detour from the road reluctantly" but that he will be "back in touch after Labor Day."