Jim Webb is out. But maybe not for long.
In a press conference at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Webb said he “fully accepts that my views are not accepted by the power structure of the Democratic party,” and “it’s time for a new declaration of independence from a political system that does not represent the vast majority of the American people.”
Webb said he will take the next “couple of weeks” to talk to people, including a number of whom he says he “couldn’t talk to as a Democrat.”
He criticized the Democratic party structure, and the campaign finance system, which he believes tilted the nomination process in favor of Hillary Clinton.
“We need to be honest,” Webb said. “Our democracy is under siege. Candidates are being pulled to extremes. Americans don’t like the extremes to which parties have moved over the years, and neither am I.”
Webb’s campaign gained little traction among Democratic primary voters, and he struggled to raise money.
Webb cam under harsh criticism from some Democrats for his response to a question from debate moderator Anderson Cooper, who asked the candidates to name an enemy of whom they are most proud.
Webb replied it was the “enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to.”
Should Sen. Webb decide to mount an independent presidential candidacy, he faces a number of obstacles. Richard Winger, editor of “Ballot Access News,” told me that while the challenges are great, they are not insurmountable.
“Independent expenditures could be made by various individuals to help Webb get on state ballots,” said Winger. And Webb might even get help from unexpected sources.
Webb stated he is confident he will receive significant financial support from people if he makes an independent run.
Winger speculated that someone who might find a Webb third-party bid attractive is Peter Ackerman, managing director of Rockport Capital and chairman of the advocacy group Americans Elect.
“Ackerman may find a Webb candidacy irresistible,” said Winger.
We shall see.
