Bloomberg, Intel Chief Reveal Presidential Endorsements

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Barack Obama and Mitt Romney announced heavy-hitting endorsements Thursday from a slew of former and current business giants.

As the candidates approach the final weekend before the presidential campaign, their teams looked to beef up their business cred during a tough economic stretch for American voters who have yet to make up their minds.

Notable businessmen who have endorsed Romney included, JetBlue (JBLU) founder David Neeleman, Intel (INTC) CEO Paul Otellini, Cisco (CSCO) CEO John Chambers and Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy, among others.

Home Depot (HD) co-founder Bernie Marcus also made clear he's in favor of Romney.

"There is no way we could start and grow today what we built in 1978 when we founded The Home Depot," said Marcus in a statement. "We didn't have the anti-business attitude that we have today in this administration, as factors such as higher taxes and Obamacare prohibit job growth in American companies."

President Obama is not without his own big endorsements from major business leaders. Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz announced his support on Thursday of the incumbent, as did New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

"If he listens to people on both sides of the aisle, and builds the trust of moderates, he can fulfill the hope he inspired four years ago," Bloomberg wrote in a statement. "And that's why I will be voting for him."

"I think [Obama] has shown significant leadership, the kind of stewardship of the economy in the country and world affairs that he deserves to be reelected," Starbucks's Schultz said Thursday on CNBC.

Businessman Charles Schwab, who founded Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) also offered an endorsement of Romney, as he said he believed the former Massachusetts governor had a plan that would help small businesses.

Polls suggest a tight race to the finish for the presidential candidates, and more than a handful of battleground states remain in question, which means Tues. Nov. 6 looks like anyone's election to win.

-- Written by Joe Deaux in New York.

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