Former Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb announced yesterday that he won't be seeking an independent bid for the White House. The former Virginia senator, who left the Democratic race last year, said his decision was based primarily on his inability to raise enough funds to be a viable candidate.
Craig Crawford, Webb's spokesman, told CNN that the former senator "will not pursue an independent campaign" even though he feels the country needs "a vigorous foreign policy debate in the presidential campaign."
"We looked at the possibility of an independent candidacy," said Webb in a speech to the World Affairs Council in Dallas, according to the New York Times. "Theoretically it could be done, but it is enormously costly and time sensitive, and I don't see the fund-raising trajectory where we could make a realistic run."
During a period when he was still in the race, Webb reported raising less than $697,000 in the third quarter of last year, according to Politico. He also reported having less than $317,000 in cash in his October filing statement. In the final quarter of 2015, he raised $68,000 with the same amount of cash on hand.
Webb, a military veteran and a former Republican, struggled to get traction among likely Democratic voters last year. He has also expressed his frustration with the Democratic Party, particularly on matters of foreign policy and national security.
"We have not had a clear statement of national security policy since the end of the Cold War," said Webb Thursday. "And I see no one running for president today who has a firm understanding of the elements necessary to build a national strategy."
Webb served in the Vietnam War and was Navy secretary during the Ronald Reagan administration. His is the author of 10 books and an Emmy award-winning journalist and filmmaker.
