Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb has always been a bit more moderate on most issues than his colleagues in the Democratic Party. He’s mostly pro-gun and a fairly strong hawk when it comes to matters of foreign policy. Also recall Webb’s time serving as Navy secretary under President Reagan. Webb has been floated before as someone who can bring in a lot of independent voters to the presidential field as he did in Virginia winning a Senate seat in 2006.
Report from the Washington Examiner:
Add former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb to the list of potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidates.
During his speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the former secretary of the Navy said he is “seriously looking at the possibility of running for president.”
Webb, who was recently called “Hillary Rodham Clinton’s worst nightmare” by the New York Times, said he would decide within the next four to five months.
During his speech, he tweeted: “A lot of people running for President seem to skip past the realities of governing into the circus of the political debate.”
Webb reiterated the importance of rebalancing the relationship between Congress and the president during his speech.
If he runs, Webb will face a tough road: Hillary Clinton currently holds a 54-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average of polls of the Democratic presidential primary.
Perhaps he’s Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare because he would run a bit to her right? I’m not quite sure why he’s being labeled as so potent to the Clinton brand. Perhaps it would eat up some independents who see her as a bit too far left but feel she’s less so than other Democrats in the field. Having Webb in the mix might give them a home leaving Hillary fighting off attacks from her left.
With all that being said, the Washington Post has compiled a list of four reasons why Webb as a presidential candidate is the worst idea ever. Most notably may be the general disdain for Webb from the Democratic base who see him as too conservative on several issues or generally outside the mainstream of progressive politics.
