In general, if you use the Trump-Sanders-Schultz scenario, it’s very likely that having Schultz run as an independent will draw more votes away from Sanders, as some Democrats simply view Sanders as a ‘nut’. Then Trump would end up with more state wins, and the massive landslide in the EC would occur.
Go back to 1860 and look over the four-way election that developed (Lincoln, Breckinridge, Bell and Douglas). If the Democrats hadn’t split into the regular faction Democrats versus the Southern Democrats, then Douglas would have won the election.
I think all of the blue states in this gimmick will regret their action, and reverse the EC change in 2021.
Things worked out for the Secessionists’ plans for a while but they did not count on a Lincoln opposing them