JULY 3, 2015
Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) announced on Thursday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for President, the 5th Democrat in the race and the 19th candidate overall. As a former Navy Secretary and a fierce critic of the Bush Iraq war policy, Webb became a Democratic darling in 2006 when he upset GOP star George Allen in Virginia’s notorious “macaca” Senate campaign.
Since declining to run for reelection, Webb has kept a fairly low profile, a unusual tack for a potential Presidential candidate to take. Webb’s aversion to the headlines even carried over to Thursday’s announcement, which was not made in person at a packed campaign rally but instead appeared as an item on his blog. What made the low-key announcement even stranger was its timing — on the day before a 3-day holiday weekend, a traditional day for dumping bad political news.
It’s difficult to see how Webb mades any headway in this field. It’s likely he’ll try to outflank Hillary on the right, but it’s difficult to run to her right and still be elected as a Democrat. The most likely game plan is raising his profile as a VP possibility (unlikely) or nailing a Cabinet post at either State or Defense.